Justice G. Helen Whitener Scholarship Justice G

The Seattle University School of Law Black Law Students Association & The Womxn's Law Caucus are pleased to announce The Justice G. Helen Whitener Scholarship Justice G. Helen Whitener Scholarship Justice G. Helen Whitener served as a Pierce County Superior Court judge until her appointment to the Washington State Supreme Court in April of 2020. Governor Jay Inslee appointed her to the Pierce County Superior Court in 2015 and she was elected to her position in 2015 and was re-elected to a full term in 2016. Prior to serving on the Superior Court bench, Justice Whitener served as a judge on the Washington State Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals and as a pro-tem judge in Pierce County District Court and the City of Tacoma Municipal Court. Before becoming a judge, Justice Whitener litigated both civil and criminal cases for 14 years as first a prosecutor and defense attorney and later as a managing partner of the law firm of Whitener Rainey Writt PS. Justice Whitener is well recognized by the legal community for her commitment to justice and equity. In 2020, Justice Whitener received Washington Women Lawyers Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst Passing the Torch Award and she received the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges President’s Award. In 2019, Justice Whitener was awarded the Washington State Bar Association’s Charles Z. Smith Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award, the King County Washington Women Lawyers President’s Award, the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association Service to Diversity Award, and the Seattle University School of Law and Women’s Law Caucus Woman of the Year Award. In 2018, Justice Whitener received the Pierce County Washington Women Lawyers Woman of the Year Award. Justice Whitener serves as co-chair of the Washington State Minority and Justice Commission and serves on the Board of Directors of the International Association of LGBT Judges as well as on the Washington State Office of Civil Legal Aid Oversight Committee. Justice Whitener is a member of the International Association of Women Judges, the National Association of Women Judges, and the American Judges Association. She is also a former chair and co-chair of the Washington State Superior Court Judges’ Association – Equity and Fairness Committee. Justice Whitener is a judicial member of Washington Women Lawyers and is a judicial member of the Advisory Council for the QLaw Association of Washington. Justice Whitener is the first black woman to serve on the Washington Supreme Court, the fourth immigrant-born Justice, and the first openly gay black LGBT judge in the State of Washington. Justice Whitener is often invited to speak to organizations locally, nationally, and internationally on human rights, access to justice, and the responsibility of the judiciary to ensure the right of all who appear before the court to basic dignity and respect in judicial proceedings. Justice Whitener was born and raised in the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. In 2015, at the request of the United States Embassy, Judge Whitener visited her home country to speak on human rights. In 2016, Judge Whitener gave a TEDxPOS Talk entitled, “Claiming your identity by understanding your self-worth” where she discusses the empowerment of embracing respect and how it informs her philosophy and approach to living. Justice Whitener earned her B.A. degree in Business Administration and International Marketing from Baruch College, New York, and received her J.D. degree from Seattle University School of Law.

Scholarship Details & Guidelines About: Womxn of color in the legal profession are underrepresented and undervalued. In 2019, just 2% of lawyers in the U.S. were black womxn and only 0.64% were partners at law firms. Formed in partnership with the Seattle University School of Law Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and the Womxn’s Law Caucus (WLC), the goal of this scholarship is to uplift and honor law students whose service and dedication to social justice and their communities embodies the spirit of Justice Helen Whitener.* Details: An award of $2,000 will be given to a second or third-year student with strong consideration given to students who are underrepresented at Seattle University School of Law, especially those who identify as a person of color and as a womxn, so long as this consideration is in keeping with Seattle University’s institutional policy and educational goal of achieving and engaging a diverse and enriching campus learning environment. Applicants who are gender fluid are encouraged to apply as well as those who identify with the mission of creating space for womxn of color in the legal profession at all levels. The award will be disbursed immediately upon selection of a recipient. Materials: Required materials are a resume and a prompt response. This application welcomes creative interpretations of the prompt. For those who wish to write a response to the prompt, please keep it under 5 pages, double spaced, 12 pt. font with 1” margins. Video, audio, and any other artistic expression is also welcomed in place of, or in addition to, a written response. Submission: All materials should be submitted to the drop box on the scholarship website by February 15, 2021. https://www.dropbox.com/request/pxTfj4m45piHm9Iyrf4Z If you have any questions or concerns about meeting the deadline, or about the submission process, please contact Devin Pearsall ([email protected]) or Maya Manus ([email protected]). Your application will be reviewed by a committee of professors and professionals (not students) that have committed to the purpose of this scholarship. Prompt: Please read the following brief biography of Charlotte E. Ray. Charlotte E. Ray was born in 1850 in New York City. She attended the Institution for the Education of Colored Youth in Washington, D.C., one of the few educational institutions in the country that educated African American girls. Ray became a teacher at Howard University. During her first year of teaching, Ray was accepted into the Howard School of Law. To avoid discrimination as a woman in the application process, she applied under the name “C.E. Ray.” Ray graduated from Howard Law School on February 27, 1872, becoming not only the first female African American lawyer in the United States but also the first practicing female lawyer in Washington, D.C.

Upon graduating in 1872, Ray opened a law practice, specializing in commercial law. However, her most notable case was her representation of Martha Gadley in 1875. Gadley was seeking a divorce from her abusive husband, and because few legal protections against domestic violence existed, Gadley’s initial petition was denied. Ray appealed and argued in front of the District of Columbia Supreme Court and won. Rampant race and gender discrimination eventually forced Ray to close her practice. She returned to New York in 1879 working as a teacher in Brooklyn and she remained active in public affairs as an ardent supporter both of women’s suffrage and equality for black women. Please explore how the life and accomplishments of Charlotte E. Ray impact your experience as a person of color seeking a career in the legal field. Feel free to incorporate other stories of other leaders (in the legal field or not) who have built upon this legacy, fought for justice and equality, and how it has impacted your journey.

* The G. Helen Whitener Scholarship is only related to Justice G. Helen Whitener in name, and all funds are to be managed by and dispersed from the Seattle University School of Law Business Office. Per the Code of Judicial Conduct, Justice Whitener’s participation is limited by EAO 93-31. This scholarship will be funded and conducted within the limitations established by EAO 93-31.

EAO 93-31 advised that a law student association may establish a scholarship fund in the judge’s honor based on the following representations:

1) The scholarship fund will be administered by the law school foundation. To administer the fund the foundation requires: a) the judicial officer will not solicit money for the scholarship fund nor will the judicial officer be invited to be a speaker or guest of honor at fundraising events; and b) during the term in office, the judicial officer will remain unaware of the names of persons or organizations contributing to the scholarship fund, as well as the names of any declining to contribute.

2) During solicitation campaigns, all potential donors will be advised that the judicial officer is unaware of solicitations and will not be informed if contributions are made or declined.

3) Funds will not be solicited from the general public. Contributions will be sought from interest groups identified by the law student association and the foundation as supporting the goals of the scholarship fund.

4) The reception announcing the inception of the scholarship fund will not be a fundraising event. There will be a presentation of a commemorative plaque to the judicial officer and the judicial officer will give an acceptance speech upon presentation.