Suffolk Courts Close Out Black History Month With Grand Celebration

On February 22nd, the Suffolk County Courts concluded this year’s Black History Month celebration with a grand final event at the John P. Cohalan, Jr. Court Complex. Sponsored by the Amistad Long Island Black Bar Association and the Suffolk County Bar Association, the Court hosted a cultural ceremony in conjunction with the theme of this year’s celebration: “African Americans and the Arts.” The exciting event included speeches, an awards ceremony, and a special performance by the St. Anthony’s High School Step Team. A jubilant audience easily overcrowded the building’s ceremonial courtroom—a remarkable turnout that necessitated the quick creation of an overflow room.

District Administrative Judge Hon. Andrew A. Crecca welcomed the large audience and kicked off the celebration with opening remarks. “This program provides us a glimpse into the countless contributions and the lasting influence of the African American community on modern day art and culture,” said Administrative Judge Crecca. He added, “there simply is no denying the profound impact that it has had all around us. Today, we take a moment to think about just how significant and groundbreaking these contributions are and to give those people the recognition and celebration that they truly deserve.”

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Additional speeches were offered by Family Court Judge Hon. Mary E. Porter, Amistad Long Island Black Bar Association President Alyson E. Bass, Esq., and Suffolk County Bar Association President Cornell Bouse, Esq. “African Americans and their artistic influence have soaked deep into the fabric of America, and their role is inextricably interwoven into our identity as a nation,” said Judge Porter, who is co-chair of the Court’s Black History Month Planning Committee. She added, “art, culture, fashion, language—it is all African American. Simply, it’s just American.”

Further, District Administrative Judge Crecca presented the Hon. Marquette Floyd Achievement Award to Patricia Waite, Esq., who is an Associate Court Attorney assigned to the Supervising Judge of the District Court. The award’s namesake—Marquette L. Floyd—was a distinguished jurist who became Suffolk County’s first African American District Court Judge in 1969, and then the first African American Supreme Court Justice in 1989. This award is given to a distinguished individual who not only serves as a role model in the courthouse, but who also stands as a trailblazer in the African American community. True to the award, Ms. Waite is a prominent African American attorney who has dedicated her career to public service. Prior to her time in the Court, Ms. Waite was a criminal prosecutor in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office and also an attorney in both the Smithtown and Islip Town Attorney’s Offices, where she had been recruited in both towns as one of their first African American attorneys.

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Family Court Support Magistrate Darlene Jorif-Mangane, who is the other co-chair to the Court’s Black History Month Planning Committee, then presented the Hon. Toni A. Bean Award to Betty Harris, a Senior Clerical Assistant in Surrogates Court. Judge Toni A. Bean served on the bench in the Suffolk County District Court from 2004 until her tragic passing in 2022, and she was a stalwart member of the local African American legal community. “Judge Bean was a force to be reckoned with, and this award was created to recognize individuals who demonstrate her same commitment to advancements in justice in the courts and in the community,” said Support Magistrate Jorif-Mangane. Recipient Betty Harris is certainly deserving of this special recognition in light of her lifelong achievements. Ms. Harris, 76, has been faithfully serving the Court for 41 years and she has also impacted her community in so many ways. She has owned and ran a barbershop, operated a modeling group and coordinated fashion shows, volunteered with an ambulance company, and she sits on the leadership board of her local Baptist church.

To conclude the celebration, the St. Anthony’s High School Step Team performed some riveting step- dance routines. For a brief time, the young students transformed the Ceremonial Courtroom into a theatrical stage that provided rhythms of percussive beats, colorful expressions of song and dance, and the unescapable aura of African American culture. “Stepping is more than just a dance form,” said Annette Harris Hill, who has coached the team for the past 20 years. “It is a rich, deep tradition that has roots tracing back to Africa,” the coach added. She continued, “stepping served as a form of solidarity among the enslaved peoples who were forcibly taken from their homes. It was a powerful form of expression of resilience and unity.” Unsurprisingly, the students’ step performance was an electrifying show and it drew an explosive applause from the overcrowded courtroom.

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After the ceremony, guests were treated to a lunch reception that was catered by Jamaica Grand Restaurant. All were able to enjoy a delicious ethnic cuisine while immersing themselves in an African American themed art exhibit that was on display as part of the celebration.

Suffolk’s 2024 Black History Month Celebration was a great success. For the first time, the Court hosted a series of events throughout February that each presented a unique way to celebrate Black History Month: a captivating art exhibit, a vibrant fashion show, a stirring educational lecture, and a grand ceremony. “Ironically, the true ambition behind our Black History Month program is to highlight the fact that we actually celebrate Black History all year long, not just in February,” said Administrative Judge Crecca.