Justice Hinds-Radix: Maintain road Judge Thompson paved
By Nelson A. King
Noting that the legal community
was saddened by the
recent death of Judge William
C. Thompson, Sr., Brooklyn
Associate Justice Sylvia Hinds-
Radix says it’s “important that
we maintain the road that
Judge Thompson paved.”
“It is our jobs as judges and
members of the bar to ensure
that our judiciary reflects the
people who come before it,”
said Barbadian-born Justice
Hinds-Radix in delivering her
acceptance speech last Thursday
after the New York State
Bar Association (NYSBA) honored
her, with its Trailblazer
Award, during its 142nd Annual
Meeting at the New York Hilton
Midtown, midtown Manhattan.
“Although we have made
many strides in this area, there
is still a lot more work that
needs to be done,” added Brooklyn
resident Hinds-Radix, associate
justice, New York State
Appellate Division, Second
Department.
She described Judge Thompson
as “a true trailblazer,” stating
that he was the first African
American senator elected
from the borough of Brooklyn
in 1965.
Caribbean L 6 ife, Feb. 1–7, 2019
Judge Thompson, who was
born in Harlem to immigrants
from St. Kitts, was also the first
African-American to be designated
to the Appellate Division,
Second Department in 1980,
Justice Hinds-Radix said.
“His death leaves a gaping
hole in our community, especially
amongst African American
attorneys and jurists,” she
said. “Justice Thompson was a
mentor to every person of color
who was elected or appointed
to the bench. He paved the road
for many, and his contributions
will be remembered for decades
to come.”
Justice Hinds-Radix said it
was “very important to state
that today, in 2019, there are
no African-American male justices
currently sitting in any of
the four Appellate Divisions.
“Some may ask why is this
significant,” she said. “To
answer this question, I am
reminded of a speech I made
at a junior high school during
one of my yearly career day
visits. It occurred about two
years before President Obama
was elected. I recall making
my speech to the class and was
elated that I was maintaining
their attention.
“At some point in my speech,
I told these students that, if
they worked hard, they could
become whatever they wanted
to be, even the president of the
United States,” Justice Hinds-
Radix said. “At this point, a
hand went up, and a young
man said, ‘Judge, can I ask
you a question?’ And he proceeded
to ask, ‘When have you
seen a person of color become
the President of the United
States?’
“My answer to him was, ‘well,
it has not happened yet, but
it can,’” she added. “However,
what was most profound in my
mind was that this eight-yearold
boy made such an astute
observation. That, at his tender
age, he observed diversity or
lack thereof.
“We must understand the
need for role models, and that it
is important for children to see
people of all colors and creeds,
particularly people who look
like them, taking their rightful
places in our nation,” Justice
Hinds-Radix continued.
“Of course, two years later,
I was happy to return to that
school, in the hope that someone
who had heard that question,
and my answer, was
still there, and could see that
I had not been spreading a
pipe dream but that this possibility
had become a reality in
the form of President Barack
Obama,” she said.
Justice Hinds-Radix said it
was also significant to note
that “we started this year with
the swearing in of New York’s
first African American Attorney
General, Letitia James.
Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix addresses the New York Bar Association.