Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America’s Most Powerful Mobster by Stephen L Carter (www.stephencarterbooks.com)
Yes, the title is a mouthful but when the above-mentioned mobster is Salvatore Lucania – also known as “Lucky Luciano,” you’ve got my full attention.
In a fascinating slice of legal history, Carter offers up a nuanced look at the until now little-known story of his grandmother; a thoughtful portrayal of a prosecutor who refused to compromise. I won’t try to steal Carter’s thunder by describing this book any further, so please check it out for yourself, it’s well worth a look.
However, a lady who appears throughout the book and turned out to a frenemy of Eunice’s, is our next subject.
November 1962 – “This means history! “Edith Sampson remarked, becoming the first black woman elected to fill a vacancy as city court judge in Illinois.
Her successes never came easy. Fourteen years’ worth of taking classes at night, first at the University of Chicago, then a law degree from John Marshall University, and finishing at Loyola University with a master’s degree gave Edith the necessary credentials she needed for the international stage.
In 1950, President Harry S. Truman named Edith as an alternate to the United Nations - the only black at that time to represent the United States. After touring more than twenty countries in Europe and Asia and logging in thousands of miles, it seemed ironic that a woman so active in international affairs, would consider seeking a political office at the city level, even if that city happened to be Chicago.
But Edith decided there had to be a first time for everything. At the age of sixty, she ran. “Maybe I can give incentive to millions of girls who can say, ’If she did it, so can I,’ and who may try.” And that she did.
Diligence – persistence, effort, and a zealous attitude towards living.
Victory!
Edith Sampson doffs her hat in Democratic headquarters after she was elected to a municipal judgeship.