Faces
Dream of a lifetime comes true for Ohioan B
enita Pearson was only 8 when she decided her dream job was to become a judge—even though she didn’t
know exactly what that meant. One of six children being raised by a single mom in Cleveland, the odds of earning a judge- ship would have seemed long, but Pearson always thought she would reach her goal. Not only did she make it to the title of U.S. magistrate judge, Pearson this year was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a lifetime judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. She is the first African-American woman to hold a federal judgeship in Ohio. “My mother convinced us that we could do whatever we wanted, but that we had to have a goal,” said Pearson, a mem- ber of Advent Lutheran Church, Solon, Ohio. “It was important to her that we had
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Benita Pearson,
shown with Gregory A. White, a U.S. mag- istrate judge in Ohio, set her career goal when she was 8.
ambition.” After learn-
ing at age 13 that judges had to be attorneys, she set her sights on law school—though it would take awhile to get there. “I studied accounting as an undergrad and became an accountant, working in that capacity for seven years, always with the goal of getting into law school,” she said. A decade after graduating from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., Pearson gave up her steady income to attend Cleveland Marshall College of Law. “I was 30 by the time I entered law school,” she said, “but I thought of that as an advantage because I had real world work experience.” Still, once she worked her way up to the position of federal prosecu-
tor, Pearson thought maybe that would be her final path. And then she got the opportunity to be a magistrate judge. Less than a year later, a slot came open on the federal bench. A men- tor suggested she try to get it, even though the chances of success were slim. “I figured what was the harm,” she said. “I thought it would be a good experience.” An arduous interview process led to her name being submitted to President Barack Obama for nomination by both Ohio U.S. senators, Sherrod Brown and George Voinovich. Her nomination was confirmed last December. “It’s an incredibly humbling position to sit in judgment of others,” Pearson said. “I understand the significance of the black robe.” The judge said her faith plays a major role in her work. “I don’t know how I could do this job without it,” she said. “I’ve never entered a court- room without praying that my mind be open and that I be the best and most humble servant that I can.” Along every step of her journey, Pearson has recalled her mother’s lessons about setting goals and doing the hard work to attain them. “Now it’s my duty to share my story whenever I can,” she said. And her story’s conclusion is that dreams can come true, even if you make them when you’re only 8 years old.
Jeff Favre Favre is a contributing editor of The Lutheran. June 2011 43
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