| Patricia Ann Blackmon 2004 Honoree |
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Patricia Ann Blackmon's education began as a child in Mississippi, where she learned from her mother basic, yet invaluable, lessons of life: hard work, responsibility and diligence. Following her 1968 graduation from Lanier High School, Blackmon advanced her education by enrolling at Mississippi's Tougaloo College. This was a ground-breaking moment in Blackmon's personal and family histories, as she was the first of four generations to attend college. Blackmon succeeded beyond expectations, graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in three disciplines: African-American studies, political science and history. Her appetite for knowledge and personal growth still unsatisfied, Blackmon departed her childhood home to attend and earn a law degree from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University. |
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More than 30 years later, Blackmon is now Judge Blackmon and
is serving her second six-year term on the Eighth District Court of Appeals
in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Blackmon is the first African-American woman to sit
on the Court of Appeals in the State of Ohio.
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"Be fearless and be inquisitive. And above all, be prepared" |
Having committed her life's work to public service, Judge Blackmon brings a wealth of experience, as well as personal accomplishment, to the appellate bench. Most notably, Blackmon served as a chief prosecutor for the City of Cleveland and the city's first night prosecutor. Blackmon also served as an assistant director of Victims/Witness Program and professor at Dyke College.
Blackmon has earned numerous personal and professional honors. Her honors include induction into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame and recipient of the 1996 Alumna of the Year Award from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
In her personal time, Blackmon pursues a broad range of interests and maintains active involvement within the community. She is a board trustee for the Woodruff Foundation, Cleveland Bar Association and Lake Erie College. Blackmon is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Black Women's Political Action Committee (PAC). In addition, she is a member of the Cleveland Bar, Cuyahoga County Bar and Norman S. Minor Bar Associations.
Blackmon advises today's youth to "be fearless and be inquisitive. And above all, be prepared."
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