Ladies 1st

Hotep,

This past Labor Day weekend, K97.5 FM paid homage to the old-school ladies of hip-hop. Salt-n-Pepa, Mc Lyte, Queen Latifah, Nikki-D and Ms. Lauryn Hill. A sweet scoop of some authentic hip-hop femininity. Ya heard?

These ladies were pioneers, not only because they mastered their craft, the art we know as 'MCing' and not only because they were sincere about their expression, never allowing success to dictate their messages to the masses. The fact that they did all of this as minorities in a male dominated industry brings true meaning to the term 'Ladies 1st.'

Andrea D. Lyon is a pioneer as well. Like the female MC's I just spoke of, she too, mastered her craft. She was sincere about her cause. Becoming a public defender at a time when women becoming attorneys was frowned upon. A minority in her own right, Andrea decided she was going to be a lawyer at the tender age of 15. The downside of the civil rights movement overwhelmed her with shame. She needed her fellow man to know that she was different from the people manning those fire hoses and brutally spraying young and old, men and women of African
American descent.

Ms. Lyon has tried more than 130 homicide cases. She has taken 19 capital cases through the
penalty phase and won all 19. This lady is known as the "Angel of Death Row." In her book,
"Angel of Death Row" (http://andrealyon.com/index.html) she acknowledges that first degree murder charges aren't always appropriate. She reveals that prosecutors will charge defendants with the highest level of offense, "The more a defendant has to risk by going to trial, the more likely he or she will cut a deal."

The visual of those fire hoses was never far from her memory. When she defended a client, she embraced her position of deflating those legal fire hoses and keeping the court in check. She interacted with her clients regularly, understanding them as human beings. She said, "How can I ask a jury to care about my client and his life if I don't. Sure, being human in this inhumane system comes with a cost. If you open yourself up to emotional involvement with your clients, the prospect of losing is frightening and the reality of losing hurts like he'll, but it's a price I am willing to pay. Or, maybe it's a price I don't know how not to pay." That's what's up!!

As a death row prisoner, I commend this lawyer for seeking justice before the eyes and ears of the unjust. A true craftsman of humanity, never intimidated by the pressures of society. As a human being, I'd like to thank Ms. Andrea D. Lyon for putting humanity before societal acceptance. Ya heard?

Live Well,

MannofStat
Copyright (c) 2010 by Leroy Elwood Mann