Brooklyn Courts close Black History Month with annual fashion show

March 10, 2016 By Rob Abruzzese Brooklyn Daily Eagle

From left: Hon. Betty J. Williams, Hon. ShawnDya L. Simpson, Hon. Sylvia G. Ash, Hon. Genine Edwards, Hon. Sharon A.B. Clarke, Hon. Kathy J. King, Hon. Sharon Hudson and Hon. Jacqueline D. Williams. Eagle photos by Mario Belluomo

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Another successful Black History Month in the Brooklyn court system was once again capped off with the Closing Ceremony Fashion Show Extravaganza on Monday, Feb. 29. The annual show features court employees dressed up in local fashions.

“It’s a wonderful tradition that gives us an opportunity to introduce the public to our court employees — the court officers, the judges, the staff, the personnel — in a really fun environment,” said Leah Richardson, co-chair of the court’s Black History Month Committee. “We’ve been doing this for so long now [roughly 20 years] that the public knows about it and some look forward to it.

“It’s a really fun event because we’re not models. We’re regular people, and we’re just up there doing our own thing. It’s unique and it gives us an opportunity to feature local fashions and end Black History Month on a really high note.”

Richardson has been in charge of the fashion show for the past 20 years, but this was her first year as co-chair of the Black History Month Committee along with Justice Deborah Dowling. The pair replaced Hon. Yvonne Lewis and Izetta Johnson, who retired last year after running the committee for decades.

“I considered it a great honor to be asked to replace them alongside Justice Dowling,” Richardson explained. “It’s a lot of hard work, but with the support of our dedicated committee we were able to pull it off. It was some big shoes to fill, but we pulled it off and it was an honor.”

The fashion show featured local designers including Moshood, Noni and Tribal Truth Collections with hats by Merrill Matthews.