By Sherri Kolade, the Michigan Chronicle
Editor’s note: Article reprinted with permission from the Michigan Chronicle.
It’s
all in the hashtags:
#HistoryWasMade. #ItsTimeForAChange. #1stFemaleJudgeOfHarperWoods. #1stAfricanAmericanJudgeOfHarperWoods.
History was indeed made through Rebekah R. Coleman’s hashtags that she posted on Facebook last November after her historical win twice over in the race to become the next 32A District Court judge in Harper Woods. And now, as the first Black and first female judge in the city of about 14,000, she continues breaking barriers.
Coleman
celebrated her November 3 wins with the help of her family and supporters who
voted her in against the incumbent.
Coleman,
in her journey to becoming a judge, is standing on the shoulders of many people
who inspired her including her “devoted” grandmothers who both had, as she
said, “deep Southern roots, amazing leadership capabilities and were prayer
warriors.”
“(They)
instilled in me the importance of the family unit,” she said of them. “I know
that you both are proud beyond my greatest expectations. It is without a shadow
of a doubt that my mother, attorney April Howard Coleman, is standing with them
beaming with pride and shouting for joy before the bragging begins.”
Near
the end of her post, she wrote to her late mother that she “got it done” and
will continue to live the life that she helped prepare her for before she left.
Coleman also thanked her father and told him that there is “another judge in the family.”
 |
| 36th District Court Judge Donald Coleman and his daughter, 32A District Court Judge Rebekah R. Coleman, are powerhouses with a great love for family and justice. Photo provided by Rebekah R. Coleman. |
Her
father is 36th District Court Judge Donald Coleman (who has served since 1992).
Coleman
told The Michigan Chronicle that her road to becoming a judge started with her
being in private practice for 10 years, where she handled cases in many
different areas of law including criminal, civil, bankruptcy and probate.
“I
ran for judge in 2016 for Wayne County Circuit Court and was unsuccessful but
tried again in this past election for 32A District Court and was successful. I
saw there was a need for change and I believed that I was the right person to
bring those changes. So, I put my name in the race,” she said. “I walked the
neighborhoods and presented my thoughts and ideas for the Court and how I
planned to bring it into the 21st century and gained the trust and support of
my community.”
Coleman
said that she is grateful to have been mentored by her father, who she said has
served honorably on the District Court in the city of Detroit for most of her
life.
“(Through)
him and other mentors, I have learned practical lessons of wisdom, empathy and
how to view the ‘common man’s’ perspective when applying the law,” she said.
She added that her parents’ tireless community outreach and involvement helped
her to understand that her own involvement in educational ventures, youth
programs, women’s empowerment programs and other efforts would be a vital asset
“understanding the life challenges of those who come before me.”
When
Coleman is not behind the bench, in her spare time she listens to audiobooks,
does jigsaw puzzles, runs half marathons (primarily pre-COVID-19), bakes cakes
and has mini-concerts with her son.
She
said that as the first female and first Black judge in the city of Harper
Woods, her general judicial philosophy is none other than fairness.
“My
goal is to bring the 32A District Court into the 21st century by enhancing the
technology of the court so that the website is more user friendly for the
residents and lawyers,” she said, adding that she will bring more programs to
the court such as literacy programs, drug treatment, and other alternative
sentencing programs that address the underlying issues and/or contributing
factors to crimes. “(This is) so that we can help people actually become
productive members of society and not repeat offenders.”
She
wants to also bring competent legal aid to the court so everyone can have legal
representation and “not just those facing criminal matters,” she said, adding
that she will aggressively go after grants, among other funding opportunities,
available for the needed Court programs.
Coleman
added that she has a very close relationship with her father.
“I
used to sit in his courtroom almost every day after I finished my cases in the
morning and before I started my afternoon cases,” she said. “I am able to talk
to my father about anything and he is always ready and willing to give advice
and instructions on any subject. Our family is a very tight-knit family so my
son and I spend a lot of time at my dad’s home, especially when he cooks, which
is very often,” she said, adding that her family was overjoyed when they found
out that she won the election. “My family was very involved in the entire
campaign process. My brothers, along with many others, walked the neighborhoods
and knocked on doors daily for months.”
Donald
Coleman said that his late wife, attorney April Howard Coleman, was the first
lawyer in their family and she supported and encouraged him on his own journey.
“While
I was in my final year of law school Rebekah, our firstborn arrived. She
changed our lives forever and was born right in the heart of our legal
journey,” he told The Michigan Chronicle. “Rebekah’s ascension to the Court has
been simply breathtaking. I have laughed, cried, reflected, and cried again.”
He
added that he is “filled with deep gratitude and appreciation at her commitment
to fairness, equality and public service.”
“I
am thankful for the trust and confidence placed in her by the citizens of her
city. My only regret is that her mother is not here to appreciate the (beauty)
of this moment, knowing that she started all of this,” he said. Donald Coleman
added that the role of a judge is to guard, defend, protect and execute the
public’s trust in the administration of justice.
“It
is a role that requires an abiding commitment to serving the public with
competence, honor and integrity,” he said. “There is no greater work than to
accept the charge of your fellow citizens to wisely and faithfully discharge
the responsibility of deciding their disputes. … God has blessed us to offer
our training, skills, and integrity to the community in the form of public
service. For this, we are incredibly humbled and we only hope that others will
be inspired to do the same."