Judge Cooper-Stokes: Hinds County's first Black female judge. See what street will honor her

A portion of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive will be renamed to Judge LaRita Cooper-Stokes Drive, in honor of Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes' wife who died in May this year.

In 2014, Cooper-Stokes was the first Black woman to be elected judge in Hinds County, representing District 2. She was also elected as the Ward 3 Jackson City Council woman in 2012. She held the position until she was elected to the bench.

The Jackson City Council passed the renaming unanimously at their Tuesday meeting.

Stokes, in a heartfelt speech while holding back tears, thanked the public and his children for their support since his wife's passing.

"This grief thing is the hardest thing I've been through and I've been through some hard things in my life, but I just want to thank the public for the love they gave my wife and continue to give and the positive things they say," he said. "There's so many things when you're in the public eye and doing different things that you hear from people. But I just want to thank my children. They been my backbone."

Judge LaRita Stokes passes away: LaRita Cooper-Stokes, first Black woman judge in Hinds County, dies at 64

Stokes said the street name will not be changed, but only an honorary sign will be put up. He wanted to clarify for the public so residents wouldn't think they are disrespecting King's name. The portion Stokes picked starts at Woodrow Wilson Avenue, which was the site of Old New Hope Church where his wife first started going to church, and ends at Maple Street, where Cooper-Stokes graduated high school.

"We think that there's significance in trying to make history," Stokes said. "And make sure that young people see that if they stay in school and do the right thing, then things will be positive for them."

Ward 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee thanked Stokes and his wife for both of their service to Jackson over the years and for their influence on her family.

"We are truly indebted to you and your wife for laying down the groundwork for my family to follow behind," Lee said. "I definitely fully support this and I just want to thank you so much Mr. Stokes and your wife for all you've done for my family."

Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley also shared kind words about Cooper-Stokes before the Council vote.

"We're not taking anything away from Dr. King, but we are giving something to someone who is truly deserving of it," he said.

After the vote, Ward 6 Councilman and Council President Aaron Banks asked those in attendance to give Stokes a standing ovation for all he has done in his years of service to Jackson.

"A lot of people talk about Mr. Stokes and his mouth and let me say something: Mr. Stokes can back up what he talks about and if anyone deserves to talk loud it is Mr. Stokes," Banks said. "I just want to honor you and just want to applaud you for your ability to keep pressing and going on."

In other Council action

During the discussion period at the end of the meeting, Council members urged the public to take part in the upcoming town halls regarding the proposed closing of 16 Jackson Public Schools. Banks said it should be a conversation that the Council should be more involved in.

Last week, the JPS Superintendent proposed the idea of closing the schools to consolidate the district due to declining enrollment, expensive investments in the school's facilities and issues with staffing teachers.

Proposed JPS closings: Issues with enrollment, staffing among reasons for recommended JPS closures/consolidations

There are three town halls coming up in the next few weeks:

• Oct. 6 at Callaway High School from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

• Nov. 6 at Provine High School from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

• Nov. 14 at Murrah High School from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

"I will encourage you all to attend because it's very important when you talk about these schools that are closing or are proposed to be closed," Banks said. "There are a lot of schools closing and a lot of them are going to be affecting Ward 4, 5 and 6."

Ward 4 Councilman Brian Grizzell, a career educator, also asked parents to rethink the decision of sending their children to charter schools.

"If you care about Jackson and you send your child to a charter school, it's questionable," Grizzell said. "The district has paid out almost $50 million to charter schools and that money doesn't come back to the district."

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson MS Council approves street to honor Judge LaRita Cooper-Stokes