Redefining Justice by Jordan

Redefining Justice by Jordan - March 2025 Scholarship Essay

Hundreds of people watching, 12 important, and one almighty one looking down on me. My client is next to me, the prosecution even further than that. The wooden brown of the courtroom. That’s where I see myself in 10 years, in a courtroom, possibly representing a man I know is guilty,
My goal is to become a public attorney, to represent the so-called “leeches” of our society, but I believe there is something more to them. In the argument of nature vs. nurture, I strongly believe that nurture is much more important than people believe it to be. In my opinion, I do not think people are born evil or born with an inherent intent to commit crimes. Instead, I believe it is the environment people find themselves in, or are born into, that forges them into a life of crime. I’m not saying that what they might’ve done is right or excusable, but there is a reason for everything. The current justice system does a poor job of examining and digging deep into the reasons and fails to address and attempt to fix these reasons, ultimately keeping people from unfortunate backgrounds stuck in a cycle of crime. My education at Howard will have helped me toward being able to set on this path, primarily because it is an HBCU.
African Americans, due to years of oppression and systemic racism, have found themselves at the forefront of misfortunate backgrounds. One of the most prolific examples of this is the War on Drugs that started in the 90s. Government actions, including the CIA involvement in the distribution of illegal drugs throughout Black communities to fund a war in Nicaragua, led to lasting consequences that are still present to this day. The distribution of illegal drugs greatly harmed thousands of Black individuals, broke up thousands of homes, and put thousands of Black individuals in prison. Many of these individuals unable to afford a lawyer and public defenders were and are overburdened, and sadly many of these defenders did not care about their community. I believe being an attorney is more than just practicing law, but instead, helping the community as well.
In 10 years, I won’t just be practicing law- I’ll be helping out underrepresented and misfortunate communities, both in and outside the courtroom.