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Up Close and Personal
The Dallas Weekly
July 17 - 23, 1986
By D. Raymon Moy
From her three years thus far as a
Dallas County family master and from her many civic involvements and even
going back to her teen years in Japan, Carolyn Wright has learned to make
adjustments and turn obstacles into opportunities.
And she now faces one of her
toughest obstacles, or rather opportunities, in vying to become the first
Black person elected in a county-wide race for a family district court
judgment.
Already serving on the bench as a
master in family court, Wright’s appointment to this position was in itself
a political coup. “By a unanimous vote of all seven family district judges,
I was appointed over the other 43 attorneys in competition for the
position,” the 40-year-old Republican explains.
Wright defines a master as a
non-elected judicial position created by the Texas Legislature to facilitate
judgments in overcrowded family, and sometimes, civil courts. “We have the
same responsibility as a district judge, except we don’t do jury trials or
receiverships,” Wright says.
Wright’s cases involve divorce,
family violence, child custody and support, and may include temporary
restraining orders to protect, for example, persons and property during a
divorce settlement. “As a master, I hear all the evidence in a case, make
my decision and present the findings to a district judge who signs the
orders.”
But the judge not question the
master’s decision, Wright continues. Only the parties in the case may
question the judgment through the appeals process.
“I’m never bored in a family court.
In working with people and problems, they’re not many days when you laugh.
If you do, it’s out of irony.”
In a sober, straight-forward manner,
Wright reflects, “after years of failing to communicate, seeing a man fall
on his knees, telling his wife things will get better, when she can’t take
anymore, is a great tragedy.”
“Per capita, Dallas is the divorce
capital of the world, There are 14,000 new filings for divorce per year,”
the judge explains. The situation for Black families is even more dismal.”
“Per capita, for every one White
couple divorcing, there are two Black homes breaking up. In Black
single-parent families, we’re throwing kids into a high-risk category for
involvement with the juvenile justice system.”
Such an intense social concern has
been an evolutionary process for the Howard University-trained attorney.
Not that she lacked compassion.
But after a number of years in Japan
where prejudice was not really a factor for her, it was a shock for a young,
impressionable woman to return to the U.S.
Shielded from much of the outside
world, moving from base to base, she and her family finally found themselves
abroad, in Japan, during the late 50’s and early 60’s.
“I loved Japan. I was there at an
age when the culture could have a great deal of influence on me. Having
been accustomed to the Japanese lifestyle, it was a shock for me to return
to this country.” In a frank admission, Wright says, “I did have some guilt
feelings about not growing up in the Black community.”
Wright’s father, who retired as a
master sergeant in the Air Force and received a Bronze Star in Viet Nam,
insisted that she go to law school upon her return to the states.
“My father and I had reached an
impasse, I just wanted to find myself before I attended law school.”
Wright does come from a family of
achievers, due largely to her parents’ promptings. Her young sister is the
assistant city solicitor in Philadelphia. A second sister has her
doctorate degree from Harvard University, and her brother, once a pre-med
major, completed his degree in communications.
Ten years before she received her
law degree in 1978 from Howard, Wright found herself in a law-related field
in Washington, D.C. working for the Office of Youth Advocacy.
“I was working with the courts and
drafting legislation to be presented to Congress.” Such contacts allowed
her to have direct involvement with racism in this society.
“Racism is one of the grossest forms
of ignorance. At first, I couldn’t envision prejudice or how it related to
me. It’s something engrained. It lowers your self-esteem. It’s
self-destructive if you’re brought up in that environment,” the social
activist insists. “If you’re thinking you’re better than someone because
you’re of a particular hue, something is wrong.
“As Black people,” Wright says, “we must give youth a positive
sense of self without causing them to become racists.” Wright’s concern
prompted her to become involved in Job Opportunities for Youth (JOY), a
program that began in Washington, but also has a Dallas counterpart.
“One thing I discovered was that a
lot of smaller crimes youth commit is because they don’t have money. With
JOY in D.C., we started one of the largest youth job programs in the
country.”
Another effective Dallas-based
program in which the judge is involved is Right Alternatives for People
(RAP). “RAP provides an effective alternative to youth incarceration,”
Wright says. “At any one time about 25 youth in our program which is
located in the Lancaster-Kiest area.”
Wright’s other civic activities
varies from being on the Board of Hospice, a program that gives outpatient
care for terminally ill persons, to participating in an opera fundraiser for
the Deaf Action Center.
“One of my favorite community
projects has been serving as co-chair for the opening of the Junior Black
Academy’s new facility scheduled September 19 and 20.”
A resident of Dallas since 1979,
Wright is also and a member of various local and national legal
organizations.
Despite her busy schedule of work
and civic appointments, Wright still finds time to hit the campaign trail,
in her bid for the 256th Family District Court. After hurdling
one obstacle, or rather opportunity, in May’s primary, Wright is preparing
for the November 6 general election.
“There was some last-minute
opposition mounted against me during the primary, even to the point of one
man running against me who had my same first initial and last name. One of
my campaign slogans said, ‘Vote for the right Wright,” the politician
chuckles.
Despite that attempt to sabotage her
support, Wright easily won over her two white Republican opponents. In
November, she will face Democrat Nathan Brin.
Despite the Reagan-dominated
Republican party, Wright makes no apologies for being affiliated with such
conservative politics. Although she doesn’t claim to be a mirror reflection
of their agenda, the outspoken candidate does say that “Philosophically, I
more so identify with the Republicans. I couldn’t see myself being locked
out of the political process in a county that’s so heavily (Republican).
Blacks should not put all their emphasis in one party. That’s just too
limiting.”
A fighter, Wright says, “If I don’t
win this election, I will survive. I don’t believe in a briefcase
mentality. You’re nobody unless you’ve learned a life skill and can be
productive.” Expanding on that idea, she says, “If you’re a lawyer, can you
pick up and do something else and still maintain your honesty and
integrity?”
“I’m running for family court judge in Dallas County,” Wright says, “because
I want to be a very effective judge and make a contribution to the overall
community at large. It’s been a long-term commitment for me to enhance
people’s quality of life, especially our youth.” |
