Born in England, now presiding judge in Sacramento County. How Judge Awoniyi is breaking barriers

BACK TO YOU, BRIAN. THANKS SO MUCH AS WE HERE AT KCRA CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH THIS MORNING, WE WANT TO INTRODUCE YOU TO THE WOMAN BREAKING BARRIERS IN THE COURTROOM. JUDGE BUNMI AWANI IS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN PRESIDING JUDGE FOR THE UNIFIED SUPERIOR COURT OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY. GOOD MORNING, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. OF COURSE. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR POSITION. YOU STARTED JANUARY 1ST. YES, I DO. SO YOU’VE BEEN IN POSITION FOR ABOUT A MONTH NOW. EXPLAIN. FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T UNDERSTAND YOUR ROLE AND THE IMPACT THAT IT HAS ON THE COUNTY. SO IN THE ROLE OF PRESIDING JUDGE, WE ARE CHARGED WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MANAGEMENT AND MINISTRATION COME UP WITH PROTOCOLS AND PROCEDURES TO ENSURE THE EFFICIENT DISPOSITION OF PEOPLE’S CASES. WE HAVE A BUDGET. WE WORK WITHIN THE CONSTRAINTS OF THOSE BUDGETS, BUT WE’RE NOT AN ISLAND, SO WE DON’T WORK ALONE. WE RESOLVING THE ISSUES OF OUR CONSTITUENTS. WE WORK WITH OUR JUSTICE PARTNERS, PUBLIC DEFENDER’S OFFICE, DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE. VERY DIFFERENT THAN MY TRADITIONAL ROLE. SO, YOU KNOW, IN MY TRADITIONAL ROLE, I MAKE A DECISION. I ARTICULATE WHAT MY DECISION IS. PEOPLE ACCEPT IT, AND IF THEY DON’T LIKE IT, THEY GO UP TO THE COURT OF APPEAL IN THIS ROLE, I HAVE TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY, REPRESENTING OBVIOUSLY, FIRST AND FOREMOST, THE INTERESTS OF THE COURT. BUT ALSO REPRESENTING THE INTERESTS OF THE JUDICIARY, OUR BENCH OFFICERS AND SO WE’RE WORKING TOGETHER COLLABORATIVELY WITH OUR JUSTICE PARTNERS TO ACHIEVE OUR MUTUAL GOALS. OKAY. SO OFTEN WHEN WE INTERVIEW LEADERS, THEY VERY RARELY WANT TO TALK ABOUT THEMSELVES. BUT WE WANT TO DO THAT A LITTLE BIT. SO YOUR FAMILY EMIGRATED FROM NIGERIA TO ENGLAND, WHERE YOU WERE BORN AND RAISED. YOU HAD A FAMILY LAW PRACTICE FOR 18 YEARS. YOU WERE APPOINTED TO THE BENCH BY THEN GOVERNOR BROWN. THAT WAS IN 2012. YOU HAVE A LONG LIST OF AWARDS AND HONORS. WHAT DOES NOW THIS HONOR MEAN TO YOU? UH, I’M FIRST OF ALL, I’M OBVIOUSLY VERY HUMBLED BY IT. UM, TAKEN BY SURPRISE, I WOULDN’T SAY IT WAS SOMETHING THAT I ASPIRED TO DO. AND SO WHEN YOUR COLLEAGUES VOTE YOU IN AND AFFIRM THAT THEY HAVE THE CONFIDENCE THAT YOU COULD BE THE FACE OF THE COURT AND THAT YOU’RE ACTUALLY GOING TO BE IN THAT ROLE, IT WAS VERY HUMBLING. UM, IN TERMS OF WHAT IT MEANS FOR ME PERSONALLY. UM, I HAD PARENTS THAT DREAMED THAT THEY HAD A DREAM FOR NOT JUST THEMSELVES, BUT FOR THEIR CHILDREN. AND IN THEIR GENERATION MAY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO ACTUALLY MANIFEST AND SEE IT MANIFESTED FOR THEM. SO THEY HAD THE RULE OF DEFERRED GRATIFICATION, BUT THEIR GRATIFICATION IS THROUGH SEEING ME ACCOMPLISH MY GOALS AND EVEN GO BEYOND THE GOALS THAT I HAD SET FOR MYSELF, FOR OUR COMMUNITY. I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT THAT OUR COURT USERS COME INTO A COURTHOUSE TO RESOLVE THEIR DISPUTES. IT IS INTIMIDATING FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND IT’S EVEN MORE SO INTIMIDATING WHEN YOU THINK THAT THERE’S PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF YOU WHEN THEY COME INTO OUR COURTHOUSE, THEY SHOULD SEE FROM ALL ASPECTS OF CLERKS. IT COURT EXECUTIVE, AND ALSO THE BENCH DIVERSITY PEOPLE THAT LOOK LIKE THEM, FOR THEM TO SEE A PERSON IN LEADERSHIP THAT LOOKS LIKE THEM, I THINK CAN BE INSPIRING. BUT IT ALSO CAN BE CALMING AND ASSURING. WE HAVE ABOUT 30S LEFT WHAT WOULD BE YOUR ADVICE TO OTHERS WHO ARE LOOKING TO PURSUE LAW AS A CAREER? LOOK FOR A MENTOR. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS VERY HARD ABOUT GOING INTO THIS PARTICULAR PROFESSION FOR ME WAS THE LACK OF MENTORS. I DIDN’T HAVE MENTORS IN LAW SCHOOL, AND I DID NOT HAVE MENTORS IN UNDERGRADUATE, BUT WHEN I CAME HERE, I BUMPED INTO JUDGE ALICE LYTLE AND SHE WAS A BLACK JUDGE IN THE MUNICIPAL COURT. AND EVEN THOUGH SHE MAY NOT HAVE SPENT TIME SITTING SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH ME, SHE PROVIDED AN EXAMPLE AND AN EXAMPLE CAN PROVIDE INSPIRATION SO THAT WOULD BE ONE OF MY FIRST FOREMOST SUGGESTIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THOSE THAT WANT TO GO INTO LAW. I LOVE THAT A BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU ONCE AGAIN, AND I AM SURE WE’LL BE CHECKING IN AND TALKING TO YOU