“You must not know how to read, you black woman,” Judge Thompson mocked, his voice booming across the courtroom. “This is a court, not a zoo for stupid monkeys. I thought you’d at least know how to dress for a trial or is that too much?”
Suppressive chuckles rippled through the room.
Olivia Jackson stood alone at the defense table her hair in a neat braid, dressed in a modest white blouse and gray skirt. Her hand clutched a cane not from weakness, but principle. She didn’t flinch.
“Do you even know why you’re here?” Thompson asked, sneering. “Should I draw it out in crayons for you?”
Still, she remained silent.
The hum of the air conditioner seemed louder than the breathless crowd.
“Swear her in,” he ordered flatly, then muttered under his breath loud enough to shame, “Dumb.”Olivia raised her eyes. “Come,” she said, focused. The clerk swore her in….Read Full Story Here……………..
