Greetings!
My name is Kameshia D. Gant and it is an honor and a privilege to be the President of the Association of Black Judges of Michigan (ABJM) for the 2022-23 year. I am a Circuit Court Judge at the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, located in the City of Pontiac in Oakland County, Michigan. I have served in this capacity since May 17, 2019. Since taking the bench and becoming a member of ABJM, I have been an active and proud member of this organization.
During the 2021-2022 year, I served as President-Elect of this organization under the leadership of the Immediate Past President, Hon. Qiana D. Lillard. Under her leadership, the organization was able to increase its membership and participation, resume in person events, establish new community programming, begin the process to update our website, and plan for the organization’s inaugural retreat in historic Idlewild, MI. I learned many valuable lessons serving under her as an officer this past year. The current leadership and I hope to continue the momentum and build upon the success of the previous year by keeping with the traditions of the organization and utilizing technology and innovation.
Despite the increase of black jurist in the State of Michigan over time, the number of black judges on the bench are still underrepresented when compared to the demographics of communities across the state. An important goal for this year is to increase the number of black judges overall in the State of Michigan to reflect the communities that we serve. It is imperative for judges to be public servants on and off the bench. Therefore, another goal is for the organization’s membership to continue to be actively engaged in the community and to develop programming to provide education, increase the public’s accessibility to the judicial system, and build a pipeline for future lawyers and judges. In addition, ABJM will be vigilant in our efforts to ensure that the organization has input and our membership has a voice regarding the creation or modification of policy, legislation or rules that impact the judiciary.
In order to achieve these goals, this organization needs a strong membership and active participation from its members. Therefore, I would encourage you to join or renew your membership in ABJM for the current year.
I am very excited and humbled to lead this organization and spread the word about its rich history, growing membership, and community involvement. I look forward to working with all of you in the next year and I am open to any suggestions that you may have achieve success.
Sincerely,
Hon. Kameshia D. Gant