I am Judge Audrie Lawton Evans and I am the Presiding judge of Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1. On behalf of all of my colleagues on the 5th Floor, I
would like to welcome you to 201 Caroline. What a great assignment this is…I have the distinct honor of starting this celebration and oh what a celebration it will be! And doesn’t it feel great to celebrate? It feels especially great to celebrate on a day, such as this… a day that was meant to break the American spirit and destroy our very own democracy…on a day, 3 years ago, that was meant to break us all. And yet, a year ago, on this very day, Harris County swore in the First Female Sikh Judge in the entire nation, Judge Manpreet Monica Singh, and today, we a swearing in our very first Associate Judge for the Harris County Civil Courts at law and oh….he just happens to be a Black Man. I am not sure if everyone caught that last part, so I will say it again…he just HAPPENS to be a Black Man.
And so today, I am welcoming you not only as a judge, but as a mother, a Black Mother who is filled with JOY! And so I asked my daughter and she said that they actually have a name for this type of joy. Many of you are probably familiar with the term Black Girl Magic…well, I am here to tell you that there is something else and it’s called Black Boy Joy! In Our Country, The weight of being a Black boy and a parent of a Black boy is immense. The truth is that every time a Black boy is brought into this world, his JOY is at risk from day one. If Black boys can be feared and falsely accused because they choose to wear
a hoodie, or play with a toy gun or jog through a neighborhood, that means their very existence, their very place in this world, is always on trial. Can
you imagine walking around with the 24 hour burden of proving that you’re a good person? Constantly on alert about how you’re being perceived and
striving to make others comfortable? Assumed guilty until proven innocent?
That is the oppression that Black people, particularly Black boys, have to live with in our country every day. And so on this day, which was meant
to break us, we sit here more unified than ever, together, celebrating the swearing in of the first Associate Judge in the history of Harris County Civil
Courts at Law, and the First Black Associate Judge in the history of the Harris County Civil Courts at Law. Today, let’s celebrate how far we have
come. Today let us celebrate Judge Thomas in all of his accomplishments, let us also celebrate the legacy he is leaving to little black boys across the world.
