LIFTING AS WE CLIMB

BY LYNITA MITCHELL-BLACKWELL, ESQ.

On May 8th, 2022, Sonja Natasha Brown made history as the first HBCU graduate to be elected to the Superior Court of Cobb County, Georgia. Cobb County is the third largest county in

Georgia with over 766,000 residents, and the Superior Court is the highest trial court in the state, with jurisdiction over family matters, criminal matters, and real estate. Judge Brown is the third African American to be elected to this esteemed position in this county, where only 11 serve on the bench. What is the secret to her success? The commitment to service, instilled in her by both her family and beloved alma mater, Clark Atlanta University.

A native of the Bahamas, Judge Brown moved to the United States to attend Clark due to its connections to the Methodist Church where she is a faithful member of Central United Methodist; but also because of Clark’s commitment to service, something that she had been raised by her dear mother and two sisters to cherish.

“Service was important in my family. Service in my church, service in my community.In all HBCUs, service is instilled in us, [we know that] everything is bigger than us.[Matriculating through Clark] taught me that I was capable of anything because the people around me told me that I couldn’t settle for anything less than excellence.”

Judge Brown’s road to the judiciary was non-traditional, as she majored in communications and worked in telecommunications for several years in Corporate America. She continued to serve in various community organizations through the years, then the shift came. One day she determined that she wanted to be an advocate for justice. The most effective way to do that was to go to law school, and after working full-time and going to school in the evenings at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, she did just that.

It was about this time after graduation, that Judge Brown had a fork in the road moment - would she continue in Corporate America or pursue her passion for community advocacy?

Around that time, I met her as we served on the board of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, Inc. (GABWA). It was through this organization that we developed a very long and deep friendship that has seen promotions, job changes, graduations, family changes, health challenges and victories, and calls to the ministry. It was through the shifting of all of these various times that Judge Brown came to the decision that made sense for the person she is: community advocate.

Judge Brown developed a very rich pool of mentors and a strong network of supporters who guided her along the way—many of them HBCU grads as well. That led to her pursuing and obtaining a coveted position at the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office at the suggestion and support of her mentor, Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams (also an HBCU graduate, a proud Howard Bison). Judge Brown distinguished herself as an excellent prosecutor and went on to serve as a senior prosecutor in Fulton county as well as Dekalb county.

It was this work, in addition to her service in several community organizations, that led to the next step on the road to the bench: a personal recommendation to apply for the soon-to-be vacated seat on the Cobb County Magistrate Court. Interestingly, then-Attorney Brown was not looking to serve on the bench at that moment in her career. However, when one of her mentors, Judge Kellie Hill, who recently was elected to the Superior Court, came to her and said, “You would be perfect for this role,” Judge Brown took the leap. “As an attorney, I felt the best way to give back to the community that I have called home for 25 years was to serve in this capacity.”

Did she feel prepared? Yes. “What prepared me for this? My family.”

Her mother, sisters, and nieces and nephews, who she affectionately calls her "Heartbeats," and also her Clark Atlanta family. “At Clark, our motto is ‘we find a way or make one.’ [And] anybody who’s attended an HBCU knows, it’s not friends, it’s not classmates, it’s family. [I was] in an environment where making a mistake wasn’t so detrimental. I learned to do more with less, to carve a path if one isn’t already there. And I had friends, those who will celebrate you, people you can call when you need to be grounded and connected.”

Judge Brown interviewed for the Magistrate Court Judge position, and was appointed to that role. Not a year later, the opportunity came for her to run for Superior Court Judge. It was a daunting task because this was the first time Judge Brown would be running for public office. Yet, it was the familiar call to serve and be of service that motivated her to put herself out there: representation for the community. “It’s important that elected officials, judges, be reflective of the communities we serve.”

An expanded supportive group of HBCU alumni from across the country, family in the U.S. and the Bahamas, friends, past and present co-workers, and community leaders came forward with a resounding charge on her behalf. The voters mobilized and Judge Brown won!

And in the winning, Judge Brown understood that the victory was not just hers and that she could not just rest on her laurels. Part of being a community servant and advocate is ensuring just and qualified leadership is in place. And so going back to that same warm circle, she remembered a conversation she had with a younger attorney years before expressing the desire to be a judge. This was an attorney who she had met and worked with through GABWA, who had distinguished herself with her community work on behalf of those who required assistance in communications, needed bilingual translators, and those defendants who came to court without English as a first language. That young attorney is now Judge Jana J. Edmondson-Cooper.

Judge Brown reached out to thenAttorney Edmondson-Cooper to ensure that she was still interested in serving; and, of course, the answer was yes! Judge Edmondson-Cooper applied to and interviewed for the position on the Magistrate Court that Judge Brown was vacating due to her election to the Superior Court.

Jana J. Edmondson-Cooper is a native of Long Island, New York. However, her father often told her growing up, “You may be a New Yorker, but you have Southern roots,” as both of her parents were from South Carolina. So it was no surprise when Judge EdmondsonCooper decided to earn her bachelor’s degree from Spelman College, nestled in the heart of the South.

“To this day, attending Spelman College was one of the best decisions I ever made. The sign on the front of the school states, ‘Spelman women enter to lead so they may exit to serve.’”

Judge Edmondson-Cooper was raised in a family of servant leaders. “Mom was a public school teacher, then later an entrepreneur. She was later elected as a Village Trustee (the equivalent of a city council member). Dad worked with at-risk youth, then founded [what would become the] second largest human service center in the state providing services for at-risk youth, adult and child care, and substance abuse counseling.” Watching her parents and extended family of educators instilled in Judge Edmondson-Cooper the importance of serving one’s community. Even when one has the opportunity to go off and make good on one’s own, there is still responsibility to the collective whole.

“When God blesses you, it is seldom about you, but what you can do for others.”

Judge Edmondson-Cooper took that knowledge with her to Spelman College, and it grew from there. With Spelman’s focus on making a strong local impact so that it can be felt on an international scale, Judge Edmondson-Cooper was right at home with her sisters. She took that charge seriously, going on to the Mississippi School of Law. She was on Moot Court, a highly competitive mock trial team, had good grades—all of the credentials and benchmarks that employers look for when hiring. However, Judge Edmondson-Cooper did not want to go into a big law firm, she wanted to go into public service. Some people did not see the value in such a goal. “People said, ‘It’s such a shame you don’t want to go to a firm.’I said, ‘Why is it a shame? Why would I not want to use the talents you believe I have to serve others, more in a public service capacity?’”

And serve she did, working in Legal Aid for seven years, and as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Labor litigating employment matters. This was in addition to her service on various boards and community organizations, including GABWA where she would later meet Judge Sonja N. Brown.

However, the road was not as smooth as it appeared. “I didn’t pass the bar the first time, and I wondered if I would ever be able to do it. I was crushed and experienced depression.” But with faith and a supportive family, Judge Edmondson-Cooper took the bar again and passed! “I learned never to accept no, it just means ‘not yet.’. It’s difficult in the moment, it doesn’t feel good, but God doesn’t make mistakes.”

Judge Edmondson-Cooper continued to work and serve, and when Judge Kellie Hill was elected to the Superior Court in 2020, she interviewed for her now-vacant seat - during the same round as then-Attorney Sonja N. Brown. Although disappointed that she did not prevail this time, EdmondsonCooper remembered what she learned when she did not pass the bar the first time: 'no means not yet.'And she was genuinely happy for Judge Brown because, in that she knew she was qualified, prepared, and would be an exceptional jurist. When EdmondsonCooper reached out to congratulate Judge Brown, she responded, “We will have an opportunity to work together.” Fast forward two years, and the opportunity came in the form of Judge Brown’s election to the Superior Court, leaving the Magistrate Court position vacant once again. Judge Brown called Edmondson-Cooper stating, “Let’s talk about your plans,” and gave the best advice for the interview. “Just be yourself. If it’s your season, then it’s your season.”

With that in mind, Judge EdmondsonCooper brought to full display her experiences as an attorney, advocate, community servant, leader, parent, daughter, caregiver, and spouse to earn the position as Magistrate Court Judge. She was sworn in about a week after Judge Brown.

Both of these exceptional HBCUeducated jurists have worked tirelessly to ensure that all people receive fair treatment, are heard, and that the administration of justice under their watch is equitable. And they both credit and cherish their beloved alma maters for making it clear that it all starts with service.

Judge Edmondson-Cooper said it best: “There’s no ego in my service. It’s not about me, it’s about the people.”