RACINE — On International Women’s Day, Judge Toni Young made history in a ceremony at the Racine County Courthouse.
Officials shared Young as the first woman of color appointed as a Racine County Circuit Court judge. That happened in late 2023.
“It’s bittersweet because it’s 2024 and I am a judge and the first woman of color here in Racine County,” Young said.
“We need to have men, women, and people of all colors. Everyone has a different experience.”
The Racine native opened Balancing the Scales of Justice LLC in 2009, a solo legal practice based in Racine. She has also worked as an attorney and public defender in Kenosha and Racine counties, according to a press release from Governor Tony Evers.
The road to get there has been anything but easy though. Young shared that in the past twelve months, she’s had two heart attacks.
“It’s easy to talk about what I’m doing because it’s a passion. This isn’t a position, it's a passion for me.”
That’s why as she took the oath Friday, it was extra special to have her mom, Stella, by her side. She had a stroke just two months earlier.
“People kept asking me ‘When are you going to have your investiture?’ And I said when my mother can be there,” Young smiled.
Also in the packed courtroom were friends from her alma mater, Grambling State University, and her sisters from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
“When we celebrate one, we celebrate all,” Felita Daniels Ashley, Young’s sorority sister, smiled. “I hope every little girl watching can aspire to be where she is.”
Along with people tuning in from New York, Atlanta, and Chicago, some of Young’s mentees in Racine also came to cheer her on.
“I was specially invited after she came and gave me a $500 scholarship for my college,” Ma’Kiya Brown, a Washington Park High School sophomore, said.
“She’s inspiring Black women because it sets an example for little Black girls and Black people that you can make it out here and be something with yourself," Brown smiled.
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