THE HONORABLE

The Honorable, is a project archiving and celebrating the legacy of some of the first Black women judges in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As the daughter of one of these judges, creator/writer/director, Courtney Jamison, witnessed firsthand how her mother and fellow Black women navigated the judicial system with grace, integrity, fairness, and discernment.

In this virtual proof of concept, a cast of 7 Black women will embody Justice Cleo E. Powell, Judge Aundria D. Foster, Judge Birdie H. Jamison, Judge Eileen A. Olds, Judge Angela E. Roberts, Judge Margaret P. Spencer, and Judge Alfreda Talton-Harris. This iteration consists of theatricalized excerpts from interviews held with the judges exploring themes of integration, being “the first”,  their law school experiences, coming of age during the Black Power movement, the intersectionality of Black womanhood, discretion versus power, “ole white man” kind of justice, liberation, motherhood, and their hopes for the future of the judiciary. 

While honoring their legacy, this project also calls to action much needed changes in the judiciary moving forward. In order to create a more equitable and fair system, we must highlight the ways in which judges are not represented in numbers that reflect the population. From 2017-2020, more than 230 judges were appointed to the bench by the former President. These judges were overwhelmingly white, male, and conservative. Taking inspiration from the anthropological work of Zora Neale Hurston, as well as Heidi Schrek’s What The Constitution Means to Me, The Honorable is also intended to use theatre and documentary filmmaking as a means of demystifying the judicial system. Through the firsthand recollections provided by Black women, we get more intersectional insight and accessible knowledge.

Listening to Black women is an act of revolution. Sit and listen to their memories, anecdotes, and lessons… preserve and pass on their stories.

MEET THE ARTIST:

COURTNEY JAMISON is an award-winning multi-hyphenate artist born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. She is a graduate of James Madison University and the Yale School of Drama MFA Acting Program, where she took part in the development process of many new works as an actor, writer, and director. Jamison starred in and produced Slave Cry with her brother Jai Jamison, winning the 2019 Commonwealth Award for Best Short Film at the Virginia Film Festival. Her directorial debut, Day 74, recently won the 2020 Curbside Shorts Film Challenge Grand Prize sponsored by Women in Film LA, IMDbPro, and Re-Frame Project. Some credits include: Slave Play, If Pretty Hurts..., Some Bodies Travel, Passion, and The Winter’s Tale (Yale Drama); School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play (MCC Theater); Assassins (Yale Repertory Theatre); Dreamgirls and The Color Purple (Virginia Repertory Theatre). This project’s for you Mama J. www.courtneyjamison.com