Beaumont Plants the Seeds For Justice Melody Stewart's Path to the Ohio Supreme Court

Author: Patricia Kuivinen

She continues to count on the sisterhood of support and strength

Nearly 40 years after being the first African-American elected to student council at Beaumont High School, alumna Melody Stewart ’80 blazed another trail by becoming the first African-American female to be elected to the Ohio Supreme Court. Stewart was elected in November 2018 to a full term as the 161st Justice to serve on the Court. Prior to her historic election, Justice Stewart also served on the Eighth District Court of Appeals, and had forged a formidable law career, graduating as a Patricia Roberts Harris Fellow from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University in 1988.

Stewart’s meteoric rise began in Northeast Ohio Catholic schools, when her mother enrolled her at St. Agnes School in Cleveland for second grade. “I came home from my neighborhood public school using a ‘bad’ word I’d heard on the playground,” says Stewart. “My astonished mother said ‘we don’t talk like that’ and I was attending a Catholic school shortly thereafter” she says, laughing. From St. Agnes Melody moved on to St. Philomena and Christ the King Schools in East Cleveland and eventually to Beaumont, where she was part of a large influx of minority students in 1976.

“I was part of a huge class,” she recalls. “I think there were 135 of us—so many that we had homerooms in the Art Wing. I remember loving the beauty of the Beaumont campus, and thinking I could easily blend my love of music with the strong academics that would help me succeed in college. I felt at home, easily making both black and white friends. Beaumont was a place where there was an easy camaraderie among students.”

Stewart quickly dived into a variety of activities at Beaumont, pursuing her keen musical interests by becoming piano accompanist to the choir while also playing softball and basketball. “Keeping my grades up was always the most important thing,” she says. “I didn’t think of the future too much back then. Like a lot of Beaumont students, I just hoped I could get all of my homework done!”

Stewart’s repertoire of involvement at Beaumont was destined to expand further when Sister Martha Mooney, OSU, suggested she run for Vice President of Student Council in 1979. “At first I had no real understanding of student council or why I was being asked to run” she admits. “But I discussed it with my mother, who wisely said ‘Honey, Sister Martha must see something special in you that she thinks would serve the position well.’ Reflecting back on that moment, I realized that was one of the first times someone other than my mom had seen something in me that I didn’t see myself.”

“Melody stood out in her class as a leader from day one”, recalls Sister Martha. “Among many gifts her inclusivity welcomed all her classmates and the entire student body into her circle of friends. Listening thoughtfully came naturally to her and has surely benefitted her career in law, but as I witnessed this gift in Melody it was an understood ‘welcoming mat’ for the benefit of all—students and adults alike.”

Her confidence rising, Stewart not only embraced the idea of running for student office, but she decided to take her campaign up a notch, running for President of Student Council rather than VP. “I felt that if Sister Martha thought enough of me and my abilities to serve in a student leadership role, I would seek the highest possible office,” she recalls.

Stewart earned the backing of the students and won handily, then became fast friends with her class VP cohort, Suzanne (Chesko) Sacks, who remains a loyal supporter to this day. “We built a great partnership that remains,” says Stewart. “Sue even called me the day before my election last year and told me she just moved back home from Florida and asked me what she could do to help my campaign. It was a real testament to my Beaumont class and made me reflect on just how strong and lasting the Beaumont sisterhood really is.”

Being a pioneer within Beaumont so long ago has had a profound impact on Stewart, informing her approach to public service, leadership and social justice to this day. “I realized I was being asked to represent the entire image of Beaumont School as a supportive, inclusive community where all girls could excel. I have no doubt this experience instilled in me the willingness to put myself ‘out there’ while at the same time realizing I didn’t have to be perfect. I was just an ordinary student who accepted the challenge to try something out of the ordinary.”

A sense of curiosity and wonder has followed Stewart since her election, with many people asking how she achieved her success. She is quick to provide some modest context. “In so many ways, working as a Justice on the Ohio Supreme Court is no different from other jobs I have had. My approach to my work responsibilities hasn’t changed—do the job, whatever it is, to the best of my ability; be respectful of and try to work well with others; be mindful when others work is dependent on mine; and never hesitate to do a bit extra whenever needed. I am humbled by being elected to serve at the highest level of our judiciary and also by the tremendous sense of pride that so many people have as a result of my election.”

Despite her remarkable achievements, she is quick to joke, “I’m still figuring out what I want to be when I grow up. Even though I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, I want to let current Beaumont students and parents know it was never really ‘planned’. My primary goal has always been to be very diligent at whatever I am doing and to take pride in my work, whatever it may be. I don’t believe there is any inferior work—whether it is as a homemaker or secretary, a neurosurgeon or wearing a black judicial robe and sitting on the bench like I do. Beaumont taught me that everyone has a special contribution to make, and everyone should try to bloom wherever they are planted.”

Original Article From: https://www.beaumontschool.org/news/2019/05/16/beaumont-news-justice-melody-stewart-80