OF LAKE ST CLAIR AND HOW TO GET RID OF IT. WE’LL SHOW YOU WHY IT’S SUCH A PROBLEM. NEW AT SIX.
BUT SHE’S KNOWN AS A
TRAILBLAZER, RETIRED JUDGE
DENNIS LANGFORD MORRIS HAS HAD A
LIFETIME OF FIRST, MOST NOTABLY
THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN AND
FIRST FEMALE DEAN OF THE OAKLAND
COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT. NOW SHE
MAY BE RETIRED, BUT SHE’S NOT
DONE DOING WHAT SHE LOVES.
MACDONALD RECENTLY SPOKE ONE ON
ONE WITH JUDGE LANGFORD, MORRIS
AND MARA. SHE JUST GOT A REALLY
BIG SURPRISE CELEBRATING HER
ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THAT’S RIGHT.
KARYN AND A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE
MANAGED TO KEEP THAT SURPRISE
AND THEY WANTED TO COME OUT AND
HONOR ESSENTIALLY WHAT IS ONE OF
DETROIT’S ORIGINAL POWER WOMEN?
LET ME SHOW YOU. PLANNED FOR
WEEKS AND NO ONE SPILLED THE
BEANS. HUNDREDS KEEPING THE
SECRET FROM JUDGE DENISE
LANGFORD MORRIS CELEBRATION OF
HER LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENTS.
WHAT DID SHE DO? EVERYTHING MY
DAD WAS THE ONE THAT WANTED TO
BE A LAWYER. AND MY DAD ALWAYS
TOLD ME THAT YOU CAN DO AND BE
WHATEVER YOU WANT TO BE. NOT
ONLY WOULD VICTOR LANGFORD’S
GIRL BECOME A LAWYER, SHE BECAME
THE TRAILBLAZING VARIETY. THE
FIRST BLACK PROSECUTOR HIRED BY
THEN OAKLAND COUNTY PROSECUTOR
BROOKS PATTERSON, AS IT TURNED
OUT WHEN I WALKED IN ALBERT’S
PATTERSON’S OFFICE, THERE WASN’T
AN AFRICAN AMERICAN SECRETARY
CLERK. LAWYER BOSS NO ONE IT
DIDN’T FAZE HER PARENTS ALWAYS
HAD FRIENDS OF ALL RACES. AND IF
YOU MET MY MOTHER, YOU PROBABLY
WOULDN’T KNOW THAT SHE WAS BLACK
. MY MOTHER LOOKED LIKE A LITTLE
OLD JEWISH LADY. AND BUT SHE WAS
THE BLACKEST WOMAN. I KNOW. AND
SO SHE, UH, ENCOURAGED US TO BE
WELCOMING AND TO KNOW THAT
PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE MOTHER. PLENTY
IS ACTIVISM IN THE SIXTIES AND
SEVENTIES MADE HER DAUGHTER
FEARLESS AND EMPATHETIC. SHE
TOOK ME TO MARCH WITH DR KING.
SHE TOOK ME TO NOW ORGANIZATION
MEETINGS AND DOWNTOWN DETROIT TO
IRMA HENDERSON’S CONFERENCE OF
CONCERNED WOMEN MEETINGS BEFORE
BECOMING A LAWYER. SHE WAS A
SOCIAL WORKER PROTECTING THE
ELDERLY AND CHILDREN. SHE KNEW
SHE COULD DO MORE AND ENROLLED
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT
MERCY SCHOOL OF LAW. SHE WAS SO
WELL REGARDED IN OAKLAND COUNTY
. SHE WAS SOUGHT AFTER IN
PRIVATE PRACTICE, BUT BILLABLE
HOURS. IS NOT WHAT MOTIVATED
HER. SHE WENT ON TO BECOME AN
ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
AND THEN GOT THE CALL FROM
GOVERNOR JOHN ANGLER. HE WANTED
TO APPOINT HER TO THE OAKLAND
COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT BENCH, THE
FIRST BLACK JUDGE IN THE COUNTY
WAS WELCOMED. I KNEW THE JUDGES
BECAUSE I HAD PRACTICED IN FRONT
OF THEM. GETTING AN APPOINTMENT
IS ONE THING WINNING AN
ELECTION. IS ANOTHER. I SAID, I
AM GOING TO WIN. I’M GOING TO DO
EVERYTHING IN MY POWER. THE
GOVERNOR GAVE ME THIS
OPPORTUNITY AND THE FIRST
AFRICAN AMERICAN ON THE OAKLAND
CIRCUIT BENCH AND I’M GOING TO
WIN. THERE’S NO OTHER OPTIONS,
ONE HER RACE IN 1994 AND EVERY
RACE AFTER BECOMING THE FIRST
FEMALE DEAN OF THE OAKLAND
COUNTY BENCH, ALL THE WHILE
REMAINING ACTIVE IN A MULTITUDE
OF CAUSES AND ORGANIZATIONS.
INCLUDING THE UNIVERSITY OF
DETROIT MERCY LAW SCHOOL, WHERE
SHE VOLUNTEERS HER TIME.
WOULDN’T THAT BE UNFAIR? TO
THOSE ARE LIKE THE PETITIONER.
HER IMPRESSIVE CAREER ISN’T WHY
THE STUDENTS WANTED HER PORTRAIT
TO HANG ON THE WALL, BUT THE
TIME AND CARE SHE HAS SPENT ON
THEM OVER THE YEARS AFTER 30
YEARS ON THE BENCH, LANGFORD
MORRIS RETIRED JUDGES HAVE AGE
LIMITS. TWO DAYS LATER, SHE WAS
BLAZING A NEW PATH THAT JAM THE
LARGEST PRIVATE MEDIATION FIRM
IN THE WORLD. SHE’S USING HER
JUDICIAL MUSCLES JUST IN A
DIFFERENT CAPACITY. I FEEL THAT
I WANT TO WORK AS LONG AS I’M
ABLE I NEVER WANT TO NOT WORK.
IN FACT, IF YOU HEAR THAT I’M
NOT WORKING. I WANT YOU TO COME
AND CHECK ON ME BECAUSE
SOMETHING IS WRONG. I ASKED
THOSE WHO ARE CLOSE TO DENISE TO
TELL ME WHY THEY LOVE HER, AND
IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH
ACCOMPLISHMENTS. WHAT I WAS TOLD
OVER AND OVER AGAIN IS BECAUSE
SHE FILLS UP OTHERS AND
CHALLENGES THEM TO DO MORE. AND
TO BE MORE KAREN KIMBERLY. BACK
TO YOU. I SAT DOWN WITH HER
BEFORE AND TALKED HER ENERGY. I
MEAN, YOU JUST FILLS THE ROOM.
SHE’S REALLY SO IMPRESSIVE. I DO
HAVE A QUESTION, THOUGH YOU
MENTIONED HER PARENTS, OBVIOUSLY
HUGE INFLUENCES AND SUPPORTING
HER LIFE. BUT WHAT’S HER ADVICE
FOR THOSE YOUNGER STUDENTS
TODAY? THAT MAY NOT HAVE THAT
TYPE OF EXPERIENCE IN THEIR
HOUSEHOLD? THE WELL, SHE SAYS
TWO THINGS NUMBER ONE. YOU
SURROUND YOURSELF WITH THE BEST
PEOPLE OF INTEGRITY, PEOPLE IN
SKILL AND NUMBER TWO. DON’T EVER