[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 25, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E221-E222]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING AND RECOGNIZING THE HONORABLE JUDGE PATRICIA ANN BLACKMON

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 25, 2004

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of 
Judge Patricia Ann Blackmon, for her significant and groundbreaking 
professional accomplishments, and for serving as an inspiration and 
role model for minority women in Cleveland, Ohio, and far beyond.
  Her unwavering integrity and strong work ethics were gifts from her 
mother, who taught by example during her childhood in Mississippi. 
Blackmon was the first member of her family to attend college, 
graduating magna cum laude from Tougaloo College in Mississippi with a 
Bachelor's Degree in African American Studies, political science and 
history. Her quest for knowledge and personal growth led her away from 
her Mississippi home, north to Cleveland, to earn a law degree at 
Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Throughout her noteworthy career as 
an attorney, Judge Blackmon has served as the chief prosecutor for the 
City of Cleveland, assistant director of Victims/Witness Program, and 
professor at Dyke College. Presently, Judge Blackmon holds the 
monumental title as the first African-American woman to preside over 
the Court of Appeals of Ohio. Judge Blackmon has served, and continues 
to serve, on many civic advisory boards. She currently serves as

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trustee for the Cleveland Bar Association, Lake Erie College, and the 
Black Women's Political Committee. For her outstanding contribution to 
the legal profession, Judge Blackmon has been awarded numerous personal 
and professional awards, including her induction into the Ohio Women's 
Hall of Fame, and the 1996 Alumni of the Year Award from Cleveland-
Marshall College of Law.
  Mr. Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in paying tribute to Judge 
Patricia Ann Blackmon, as she is being honored on February 5, 2004, by 
the 14th Annual Strong Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership series, 
sponsored by Dominion East Ohio. Judge Blackmon's professional 
excellence and accomplishment as a distinguished attorney and judge 
serves as a beacon of hope and light for people of all races so they 
may visualize and realize their dreams. And Judge Blackmon's journey 
from Mississippi to Ohio reflects tenacity, integrity, dreams and hope, 
and she continues to inspire us all.

                          ____________________