On Wednesday, January 11, Missouri’s Legislative Black Caucus held its annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The “Keeping the Dream” celebration featured a keynote address from Missouri Supreme Court Judge Robin Ransom, the first Black woman to serve on the court.
Judge Ransom spoke about her father who watched as whites got promoted over him to supervisory roles with considerable salary bumps at the St. Louis fire department in St. Louis for 30 years.
“My dad was an advocate that once you walked through a door, you as an individual had an obligation to make sure that door remains open for others to come behind you,” Ransom said.
“My dad was upset that he never succeeded at what he considered his professional life. But I think he succeeded in his personal life,” Ransom said. “Even though he may have missed the mark in some of the ways in which we were raised, he instilled in us a determination and a love of who we are — not who people want us to be. Not what people think we should be. But who we are.”