013 | Diversity, Inclusion & Politics with Yvette McGee Brown
Yvette McGee Brown is a Partner at Jones Day, a law practice that provides formidable legal talent with over 2,500 lawyers in 42 offices across five continents. She has 11 years of experience as a jurist, highlighted by her service as a Justice on the Ohio Supreme Court. She specializes in Business and Tort Litigation and Issues and Appeals. Yvette is also Jones Day’s Partner-in-Charge for the firm’s Diversity, Inclusion, and Advancement, where she assists clients with their diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies.
Yvette joins me today to discuss her experience in politics, the wisdom she received from her family, and why what matters most is where you finish in life. She shares her experience of living in a segregated part of the city, what it was like when desegregation orders were being issued, and what she thought equality in schools should have been. She describes what it was like being a Justice and what the election process was like. She explains why she left the courtroom to return to private practice and how she got over the idea that she was no longer a judge. Yvette also shares her thoughts on the current educational system and what she thinks schools should be teaching our children about our country.
"The one power you have is to vote with your feet. You don’t have to stay some place where you are not respected." - Yvette McGee Brown
This week on Kathy Sullivan Explores:
What it was like growing up in a segregated neighborhood
Desegregation orders and what she realized about her family when it was mandated for schools
Yvette's experience with talking to a federal judge about the desegregation orders
The people who influenced Yvette to go into law school
Yvette's thoughts on the number of young people in the prison systems
Yvette's experience as a judge and during the elections
Why Yvette left her position as judge and how it affected her emotionally
The importance of family support when it comes to pursuing dreams
Demanding respect in the corporate world and how leaders earn your loyalty
Yvette's political experience and how it was different over a decade ago
The day Yvette was sworn in as the first African-American female justice
How schools should teach students about the government, history, and constitution
Connect with Yvette McGee Brown:
Spaceship Not Required
I’m Kathy Sullivan, the only person to have walked in space and gone to the deepest point in the ocean.
I’m an explorer, and that doesn’t always have to involve going to some remote or exotic place. It simply requires a commitment to put curiosity into action.
In this podcast, you can explore, reflecting on lessons learned from life so far and from my brilliant and ever-inquisitive guests. We explore together in this very moment from right where you are… spaceship not required.
Welcome to Kathy Sullivan Explores.