230th Road, on the nook of 133rd Avenue, in Laurelton, Queens was co-named final Wednesday in honor of the primary feminine African-American elected decide in Queens.
Dr. Danielle N. Williams – the daughter of the late Patricia Polson Satterfield, a retired justice of the Supreme Court docket of the State of New York, Queens County – advised Caribbean Life on Monday that the road was co-named, in a grand ceremony, as “Justice Patricia P. Satterfield Means.”
“On July 10, 2024, I celebrated the life, management and legacy of my mom, Justice Patricia Polson Satterfield,” stated Dr. Williams, stating that her mom was “a proud graduate” of Howard College in Washington, D.C. and St. John’s College Faculty of Legislation, in Jamaica, Queens, the place she earned her juris doctorate (regulation diploma).
“My mom was an incredible trailblazer within the Southeast Queens group,” she added. “It was vital (that) I cement her legacy, in order that future generations know her identify.
“Now, when individuals move my block, they are going to search for and see Justice Patricia P. Satterfield Means,” Dr. Williams continued. “And for those who don’t know her, they are going to know her now. This co-street naming is so vital, as a result of I used to be raised on the identical block, 5 homes down, on the identical avenue since 1980 in Laurelton, NY, which is now the identical home and block I dwell on now, elevating my sons.
“The sensation of pleasure is so overwhelming to create a legacy that can dwell on perpetually for my mom,” she stated. “To move her identify daily jogs my memory of her greatness and the greatness she pulled out of everybody she met, mentored or motivated.”
Dr. Williams stated, “The tears of pleasure streaming down my face allowed me to name her identify. All I can say is ‘mother, we did it.’ I would like her identify to dwell on, and I would like kids within the Southeast Queens Neighborhood to come back by and ask about her, as a result of she exemplified girls’s historical past.”
She described the road co-naming ceremony as “a ravishing occasion.”
“My great husband, Allen David Williams, Sr. (son-in-Legislation) was an brisk MC (Grasp of Ceremonies), whereas Rev. Eli Watson, III opened the ceremony with a strong prayer,” she stated.
Dr. Williams stated audio system highlighting organizations her mom was concerned in, as a frontrunner and a member – Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; Jack and Jill of America, Inc.; The Better Queens Chapter of the Hyperlinks, Inc.; and The Carats, Inc., amongst others – “shared messages from the guts, expressing their thanks for my mom’s impression.”
New York Metropolis Councilwoman Selvena Brooks Powers, whose mom hails from Jamaica, “was instrumental in getting the Legislature handed for the road co-naming,” Dr. Williams stated.
She stated Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, whose father additionally hails from Jamaica, and Assemblywoman Alicia Hydman’s workers supplied help on occasion day, offering tents, audio system and extra chairs.
“Now, after I stroll down the block, I’ll at all times see ‘Justice Patricia P. Satterfield Means’”, Dr. Williams stated. “My mother’s legacy continues.”
She stated her mom, who was born on July 10, 1942, died on Sept. 6, 2023, after “a brave battle with most cancers, surrounded by her family members.” She was 81.
Along with her groundbreaking appointment to the New York Supreme Court docket, Justice Satterfield was “an avid musician, having studied with world-renowned cellist Pablo Casals in Puerto Rico, previous to finishing her Bachelor of Music Diploma from Howard College,” Dr. Williams stated.
After Howard College, she stated her mom enrolled in Indiana College Faculty of Music to pursue a grasp’s diploma in Opera, and finally accomplished her J.D. at St. John’s College Faculty of Legislation in 1977.
In 2022, Justice Satterfield acquired the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for her judicial work and her affect on society, Dr. Williams stated.
She stated her mom established internship and justice packages, championed African-American tradition, promoted training, was a frontrunner in her group, and continued to sing as an expert operatic Soprano.
“She formed numerous lives and impressed everybody she met, together with her compassion and dedication to humanity,” Dr. Williams stated.
She stated Justice Satterfield, a local of Christchurch, Virginia, was elected as a decide of the Civil Court docket of the Metropolis of New York in 1990, turning into the primary Black feminine decide elected in Queens County.
Afterwards, she was appointed as an Appearing Justice of the Supreme Court docket in 1994, and was elected to that place in 1998, Dr. Williams stated.
Previous to coming into the sector of regulation, Justice Satterfield pursued her bachelor’s diploma at Howard College’s Faculty of Positive Arts; a Grasp of Music in Voice from Indiana College, Faculty of Music; and centered on a profession in music, with particular emphasis on operatic performances.
Dr. Williams stated her mom “reluctantly relinquished” her place as a junior highschool choral director and music instructor at Alva T. Stanford Junior Excessive Faculty in Elmont, New York, to affix the authorized group.
She stated Justice Satterfield, retired from the bench in January 2011 and was “a multi-faceted particular person who repeatedly blended her myriad background experiences.”
Dr. Williams stated her mom additionally served as a school member for Persevering with Authorized Education schemes of St. John’s College Faculty of Legislation and the Queens County Bar Affiliation; a school member of the Working towards Legislation Institute; chair of the Judicial Listening to Officer Choice Advisory Committee for the Second Division; presenter at seminars for packages for newly-elected judges and justices of the Unified Court docket System, the Affiliation of Civil Court docket Judges, annual judicial seminars for judges and justices of the Unified Court docket System; and chairperson or member of quite a few different committees and organizations.
Justice Satterfield’s skilled affiliations included the Affiliation of Justices of the Supreme Court docket of the State of New York; Affiliation of Justices of the Supreme Court docket of the Metropolis of New York Nationwide Affiliation of Ladies Judges; Judicial Buddies of the State of New York; New York State Bar Affiliation; Queens County Bar Affiliation; Queens County Ladies’s Bar Affiliation; and Macon B. Allen Black Bar Affiliation.
As well as, Justice Satterfield was a member of the Bar of the State of New York, and was admitted to follow in america District Court docket, Southern and Jap Districts, and the US Court docket of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Dr. Williams stated Justice Satterfield’s skilled and community-based contributions have been acknowledged by such teams as Hofstra College Faculty of Legislation, Black Legislation College students Affiliation; St. John’s College Faculty of Legislation, BALLSA; US Social Safety Administration, Northeast Area, Ladies’s Mission; Queens County Ladies’s Bar Affiliation; Alpha Kappa Alpha, Epsilon Pi Omega Chapter, Distinguished Member Award; Authorized Outreach; St. Alban’s Congregational Church, The Heritage Corridor of Fame; Authorized Outreach, Inc., Appreciation Award; Samaritan Village, Inc., of which she was a Board Member; and, in 2005, “she was honored” to be awarded an honorary doctorate diploma from St. John’s College Faculty of Legislation.
“To culminate her lifelong achievements, my mom acquired the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2022,” Dr. Williams stated.
