"Welcome to HerStory, a collaborative event hosted by the Black Law Student Association and Women's Law Society. I am Lisa Tipton, President of Women's Law. Let me introduce you to our guest speaker, Casey Jones, also known as lawyer bae." Lisa continue as the class cheered for Casey who waved while sitting in the oversized lounge chair placed behind the end table and across from the President.
Casey and the girls arrived with little to no time to spare so they headed immediately to campus. She was dressed in a solid royal blue colored dress that fit her body like spandex and rested right above her knees with tan Jimmy Choos.
"As you all are aware, this a Q&A session with Ms. Jones. She has made it known that she is willing and ready to answer any questions you may have but let's keep in mind that she is also free to answer those questions however she sees fit. Now, Ms. Jones, I have a few questions that were submitted to me previously. First question, what is your story?"
"My story... well..." Casey started before taking a deep breath. "Let me start by telling you the story of the women before me to help you understand me more." Casey said as she shifted in her seat. "I am the product of a woman who raised three black men and one black woman alone. Her cousin stole her identity and used her name after committing murder. Those three men she raised, all belong biologically to that cousin. That same woman, my mother, lost her father at an early age to gun violence. She then lost her stepfather to cancer a few years later. She is the product of a hustler. That hustler was a woman who never slept. She worked sixty plus hours a week to provide for her family after losing not one but two husbands. That hustler is the product of a woman by the name of Mary Lynn who birthed ten children. She and her children were actively involved in the civil rights movement in my small hometown. Her son was kidnapped by the KKK. Her daughter was raped by the same Klansmen. Her husband killed by those same Klansmen. That woman was the product of a woman by the name of Willie Mae who was also raped and brutally beaten by Klansmen. She was the product of rape. Her mother was molested by her slave master. But what she failed to tell anyone was that she was also raped and my grandmother's mother is the daughter of her rapist. As you can see, I come from a lineage of strong, independent, fearless women so I had no choice but to become one too. It was hard. I am the first descendant of that same woman who was molested by her slave master to attend college. I am her first descendant to attend law school. And I am her wildest dreams. I wake up every morning with the fight, the determination, the same drive that she had which all derives from my admiration of her and all of the women before me. I fight for them, their children, their children's children, my child. Casey Jones is just a small town girl fighting for the same change that her great great great grandmother fought for, the same exact change."
"That is actually a great transition to our next question, who or what inspires you to persevere through despite any challenges you may face?"
"I have had several people inspire me along the way. My mom, my grandmother, all of those women I've mentioned before, my girls, my brothers, my family -- but, if you're specifically asking who inspires me today, I would have to say my son. He and his daddy drive me insane but I wouldn't trade either of them for the world." Casey said with a huge grin.
"You mentioned your child's father. We have two questions regarding him." Lisa asked causing Casey's facial expression to change. "First, how is it trying to maintain your image and your brand while dating a well known celebrity who seems to do the opposite?"
"Well, my image and Gabe's image are different but not completely. We come from the same background. He tells the story and I offer the change, the resolution. I try not to confuse the two but we are starting to realize that our actions affect each other in some way, shape, form or fashion so we are working on that; however, I have never doubted that Gabe has my best interest at heart as I do his."
