This article is the first in a six part article series that will feature famous historical black figures for the month of February. This week’s feature will cover the historic breakthroughs of Jane Bolin.
From growing up around law, Jane Bolin decided to break barriers and achieve the impossible. Jane made history for black people and women by being the first black woman to graduate from Yale University and by being the first woman to be appointed as a judge.
Bolin was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, on Apr. 11, 1908. From a young age Bolin knew what she wanted to do in life. She developed an interest in law from her father, Gaius C. Bolin, who was a city lawyer. To further her education, Bolin attended Wellesley College and graduated as a Wellesley scholar with a bachelor’s degree in arts in 1928. After graduating from Wellesley, Bolin took a leap of faith and applied to Yale Law School, despite the negative comments from others who tried to deter her from her dreams. Through perseverance amidst all the hate and racism, Bolin graduated from Yale Law School in 1931. At the age of 23, Bolin was one of three women in her graduating class and was the first woman to graduate with a law degree from Yale Law.
After completing school, Bolin worked at her father’s law firm until she got married to Ralph Mizelle and moved back to New York. In New York, Bolin worked in the New York City Corporation counsel office. She held the position of New York City assistant corporate counsel and was the first black woman to do so. Bolin continued to make history and push through the adversity in her way, as she would once again make history as the first woman and black woman to be appointed a judge in the United States.
On Jul. 22, 1939, Bolin was declared a judge of the City Domestic Relations Court. Bolin worked on cases that involved protecting the rights of children, juvenile delinquency, segregation, women and child safety. During her time as a judge, Bolin removed assignments of prohibition officers based on people’s ethnicities and she made it mandatory that private child care agencies help children no matter what their background was. Bolin also worked alongside former first lady Elenor Roosevelt to decrease crimes among juvenile young boys.
After 40 years of serving as a judge, Bolin retired at the age of 70. On Jan. 8th, 2007, Jane passed away at the age of 98. Bolin served as a huge inspiration and gave a sense of hope for women and the black community. Her achievements and implications allowed children and people of all races to be able to succeed and achieve the dreams they desired, no matter what obstacles may be in their way.
