NEWSLETTER
   MARCH  2020 
March 2020 Newsletter Headlines
 
Employee Appreciation Day


ITSB
CAYMC Jury

Criminal Division





FOC


Employee Appreciation Day was Friday, March 6 th .   Third Circuit Court would like to recognize our employees and thank them for their continued dedication and service.

 
 
THE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION CALENDAR
 
The Third Circuit Court Diversity and Inclusion Team's Mission Statement: 
" We appreciate our common connection and respect our diverse and unique human experiences. We move forward as an inclusive organization as we provide accessible and equal justice."
 
T he Court's Diversity & Inclusion Team strives to ensure the values of its diverse bench, staff, and court users are acknowledged and reflected in our delivery of service as well as our work environment.
 
In that spirit, the team creates and shares a monthly list of various holidays and observations along with some celebration suggestions. We invite our work community and the community at large to contribute.
   
April 2020
 
Autism Awareness Day   April 2
Passover   April 8 - 16 
Easter    April 12
Earth Day   April 22
Diversity Month   All Month
 
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.
 
Here are nine tips for interacting with people with autism..
  • Please don't hate their shield.
  • Try not to stare. 
  • Never talk about that person.
  • No sad faces about them, please.
  • They are inside bodies that work differently - be patient.
  • They are real.
  • They are not shells with no inhabitants.
  • Let them be the best them they can be.
  • Try to help them, not control them.
  • Raise hope to give them better futures. Help them to aim high.
 
Passover- April 8- April 16, 2020
Passover is a major Jewish holiday and one of the most widely celebrated Jewish holidays. The eight-day festival of Passover is celebrated in the early spring, from the 15th through the 22nd of the Hebrew month of Nissan. It commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. It is observed by avoiding leaven, and highlighted by the Seder meals that include four cups of wine, eating matzah and bitter herbs, and retelling the story of the Exodus.
 
Source: www.chabad.org 
 
Earth Day is held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970, and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network and celebrated in more than 193 countries each year.
 
Here are 8 Simple Things to Do to Celebrate Earth Day ...
 
  • Plant something
  • Ride your bike
  • Let your voice be heard
  • Attend an event
  • Buy reusable bags
  • Use a refillable water bottle
  • Get produce from a local farmer's market
  • Shop for smart clothes
Diversity Month started in 2004 to recognize and honor the
diversity  surrounding us all.  By celebrating differences and similarities during this month, organizers 
hope that people will get a deeper understanding of each other.
 
Here are a few things to do for diversity...
  • Do something that represents you
  • Do something to represent your culture
  • Bring food to celebrate your culture
  • Bring a piece of clothing
  • Plan a potluck for your unit and have each person to bring a dish 

Day In Court    
 






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Please send us your name and email address to - 
[email protected]

Greetings,
 
During these tumultuous times, we have considered suspending the Court's newsletter.   However, we believe that in doing so we would have lost an opportunity to share some of the highlights from the previous month and the good things people do now, even in times of crisis.   We can also share this newsletter while observing social distancing.   Please enjoy the newsletter, we appreciate your readership, and we look forward to the near future when we are fully operational. 
 
Reminder:  State of Emergency Notices and Orders can be found on our website at www.3rdcc.org.  
 

The Court's Vision

Strategic Project leaders are putting the finishing touches on the final project reports for their 2018-19 projects. These will be compiled in a soft-copy report available on the Court's website later this year and highlights will be reported in the annual report. Everyone who participated on a strategic project played a role in moving Third Circuit Court forward to its vision.  
 
As a national leader in court performance and the administration of justice, the Court is recognized for:
  • Using innovative and best practices;
  • Building trust and confidence in the judicial branch; and
  • Providing exemplary public service, programs, and work environment, including professional facilities and effective technology.
With the commitment and efforts of our employees and partners, the Third Circuit Court's vision will become a reality.  




Judge Geraldine Bledsoe Ford - HERstory on Display

Third Circuit Court Administration hosted the Michigan Women Forward's (MWF) Diversity Exhibit in February. The MWF motto is "History is history. It's time for HERstory." The Diversity exhibit is comprised of portraits and biographies of women of color who have impacted Michigan's History. 

Among the collection of the health care professionals, social workers, social activists, lawyers, grass root leaders, and elected leaders is our own Judge Geraldine Bledsoe Ford.

Judge Ford began her judgeship in Recorder's Court in 1966. Before she won her judgeship, she was the first black woman to attain the position of Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan and the first black woman to serve as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Detroit. 

As a judge, she was considered fair and just.  Our Chief Judge Timothy M. Kenny served as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in her courtroom during the early days in his career.  "Judge Geraldine Bledsoe Ford embodied the characteristic of an iconic judge - devoted to the law, gracious, and professional to all who appeared before her, and committed to the professional development of promising new attorneys.  It was my privilege to have served as her courtroom prosecutor for an extended period of time.  Judge Ford was an invaluable mentor and later in my career a valued friend.  I am richly blessed to have known her." - Chief Judge Kenny. 

Judge Ford was also a major force in local affirmative actions in the law school setting, especially University of Michigan. The Women Lawyers of Michigan Association has an award named in her honor.  In 2019, our Executive Court Administrator Zenell Brown received that award. 

 
Judge Ford served 33 years on the bench before her retirement.  She left a legacy of her love for the law; her daughter, Hon. Deborah G. Bledsoe Ford serves on the 36th District Court in Detroit.

Third Circuit promotes diversity and inclusion and acknowledges the contributions Judge Geraldine Bledsoe Ford and the contributions of women and African Americans made to justice and our Court.


Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month.   Women's History Month is an annual declared month that highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society.   Third Circuit Court would like to profile some women in celebration of Women's History Month and International Women's Day, which was celebrated on March 8th.

Irena Sendler was a nurse in the Polish Underground in WWII Warsaw.   She helped more than 2,500 Jewish children to safety.   She had crafted false bottom ambulances and would then hide the children in baskets, coffins, and potato sacks.   She was eventually arrested, tortured, and sentenced to death.   Sendler was able to escape after she bribed guards.   After the war she lived in near-obscurity in Warsaw.   In 1999, two female students in Kansas uncovered her story.

 
Sarah Breedlove, also known as Madam C. J. Walker, was American's first female self-made millionaire.   She was one of the richest African American women in the U.S.   She was the first in her family that was not born into slavery.   She was orphaned at the age of seven and worked as domestic help.   She opened her own company selling her products door-to-door and teaching women how to style and take care of their own hair.   Her company employed thousands of women who sold the products door-to-door. 
 
 
 
The "Damsels of Design" at General Motors.   In the mid-fifties, a group of women industrial designers were hired by General Motors to work on popular car brands.   The core group consisted of six women: Ruth Glennie, Suzanne Vanderbilt, Marjorie Ford Pohlman, Peggy Sauer, Sandra Longyear, and Jeanette Linder.   They were spread among four popular GM car brands.   These women are credited for inventing the following: glove boxes, center storage consoles, retractable seat belts, lighted sunshade mirrors, and childproof door locks.

 
  DETROIT...BASKETBALL



Third Circuit Court e mployees  and their friends and family  enjoyed the  Detroit Pistons  vs .   Milwaukee Buck   game  on  February  20th  at Little Caesars Arena.