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Harris County, Texas, Just Swore In An Unprecedented Number of Black Women Judges

The women are said to be a part of a blue wave in the state of Texas and the largest group of Black women judges to be elected at the same time in the county’s history.

COURTESY OF HARRIS BLACK GIRL MAGIC

By Tanya A. Christian · Updated October 23, 2020

After a tough outcome in Texas’ midterm race for governor, a story of 19 Black women running for judge in the state’s Harris County, helped to soften the blow. Now, 17 of the candidates who were voted in on November 8, have been sworn into their new position. The group of cohorts which includes two women who ran for re-election, calls themselves the “Harris Black Girl Magic.” Harris County, which includes the city of Houston, is the largest county in the Lone Star State. According to U.S. Census demographic statistics, the area has a diverse population with Blacks making up more than 19 percent of the area’s dwellers, and Hispanic residents accounting for 43 percent. Angela Graves-Harrington, one of the newly elected judges, told KHOU 11 that for her, it was about giving people an opportunity to see judges who fairly represent the diversity in Harris County. Latosha Lewis Payne, whose idea it was to take the now-viral photo with the group of Black women running for a judgeship, told the Houston based CNN affiliate, “I for one am looking into making sure that every person who has a legal case, has an equal opportunity for justice.” The women are said to be a part of a blue wave in the state of Texas and are believed to be the largest group of Black women judges to be elected at the same time in the county’s history.

On Tuesday morning the Harris County Democratic Party posted photos of the swearing-in ceremony accompanied by a caption reading, “Today we usher in a new era of representative government and progressive leadership in Harris County.”

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