De’Arbreya Lee
Staff Writer
In her book, “Stay in Your Lane: Judge Karen’s Guide to Living Your Best Life”, Judge KarenMills-Francis pulls from experiences in the courtroom and from her personal life, giving advice on surrounding of life, love, and the many universal connections that all humans share. From the stories in her book, Mills-Francis offers readers advice to direct her audience towards physical, emotional, spiritual and social positivity.
Mills-Francis shared these experiences and her knowledge of the legal system with students at Jackson State University as a part of university’s seventh year celebration of “Constitution Day” on September 15 in the Rose E. McCoy auditorium.
“I think that it’s important for everybody, each one of us as a U.S. citizen to know our legal rights,” said Mills-Francis. She said that is bothers her to know that people do not exercise these rights. “I think that it’s important for people to know that they have these rights because the constitution protects our individual freedoms and if you’re not exercising these rights then you’re not living up to the spirit and letter of the constitution,” said Mills-Francis.
LeMaudia Strahan, a freshman criminal justice major from Ridgeland, Miss., said that she gained insight in her field from Mills-Francis’ visit.
“As a criminal justice major, it influenced me to go further with my criminal justice career instead of just staying on the surface,” said Strahan.
Ebony Lazare, a freshman psychology major from Opelousas, La., said that she also enjoyed the message from Mills-Francis’ speech. “She also stressed that it doesn’t matter where you come from, you’re person that determines your future. She didn’t try to hide anything from her past. That’s the best way to get through to someone by giving advice from a personal perspective,” said Lazare.
During former president George W. Bush’s term in office, it became a requirement by Congress that every federally-funded school create educational programs that bring awareness of the history and signing of the constitution on June 21, 1788. On December 8, 2004, President Bush signed a bill that designated September 17 (or any day around this date should the 17th fall on a weekend), as “Constitution Day”.
“We’re kind of taking it up to a higher level so we can get a little bit more student involvement and student feedback about celebrating The Constitution by having individuals that have been trailblazers in their different professions and careers”, said Edwin H. Quinn, Dean of Student Life.
“You want to find someone that has exhibited qualities that are unique, being the first in that particular field, similar to The Constitution, the birth of our nation, the first big experience in Democracy as people call it”, he added, and with Judge Karen, they found a match.
Mills-Francis, born and raised in Miami, Fla., attended Bowdoin College in Maine for her undergraduate education, and attended Levin School of Law at the University of Florida where she graduated in 1987. She severed in the Office of the Public Defender in Miami for 13 years in criminal defense law and soon became certified as a family court mediator.
When she was 27 years old, an 11-year-old boy walked into her courtroom and into her life, becoming the first of the few children that she would become a foster mother to.
According to her website www.judgekarenscourttv.com, Mills-Francis has become known as a passionate supporter of children’s advocacy programs and domestic violence prevention programs and regularly calls on lawyers to act on behalf of children in crisis.
“Her personal story, her personal experiences, her trials and tribulations that she actually endured really helps to bring in that whole holistic education here at Jackson State”, said Quinn.
A woman of many achievements, Mills-Francis became the second black woman to serve as a judge in Miami-Dade County in 2000. During her two terms as county judge, Mills-Francis stuck to her mission of helping those at risk who become lost in the legal system. Constantly at work, Mills-Francis conducts lectures across the country on family issues, targeting the concerns of women and children and profiles missing children on her Facebook page.
“I invite you to be what you want to be,” said Mills-Francis, in her encouragement for students to explore there options in life.
“I invited you not to park. There’s so much more to life than those things,” she added.
Mills-Francis also stressed the importance of prospering (financially) in outside countries and the lack of African American participation in this line of work.
“I read that 8% of Americans work for foreign service are African-American,” said Mills-Francis.
Gabrielle Barrow, a senior English major from San Francisco, Calif., said, “I thought she was amazing. She made me think about other paths than just being a lawyer. I felt that her information was very inspiring and gave me a different outlook on life, especially the many options that I have.”
