- Executive Office of the Trial Court
A Message to the Trial Court Community,
In light of the fact that we are beginning to awaken, albeit slowly, from the grips of COVID-19, I thought it was important to reach out to all of you. As you know, the Trial Court is my passion and my life. I deeply care about the work we do and the people who work in the system. In the last three months, each of us have experienced personal and professional challenges we might never have imagined before. Working from home has created isolation, and for those going into the courthouse when the pandemic was at its height, anxiety. Those feelings are real and may be difficult to address without help. Many of us have suffered the loss of loved ones or have felt the fear of losing a loved one. Over these last months, Jon and I have encouraged our Trial Court colleagues to practice empathy toward one another and the public, and to act intentionally with care, respect, and appreciation. I am writing today about something more direct.
We have colleagues in our court family who may be experiencing the impact of the pandemic differently than others. We have seen both nationally and in Massachusetts that some communities have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic in terms of deaths and infection rates. Further, we have heard about xenophobic sentiments expressed toward members of the Asian, African American and Latino communities. As a court system, we have seen communities of color – such as Chelsea and Brockton – that have suffered disproportionately from the effects of the virus. And while we have made strides throughout the pandemic to help the people we serve in these communities, it is also important to recognize that these and other communities are reeling from recent national events, beyond the pandemic.
Given that we are a court system comprised of individuals from diverse communities throughout the Commonwealth, I feel compelled to acknowledge the pain and suffering of those persons of color in our Trial Court community who continue to do the important work they do in the Trial Court, while they process the events. All of us have the recent deaths of Ahmaud Arbery in Satilla Shores, Georgia; Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, and George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as well as the actions of Amy Cooper in Central Park in New York weighing heavily on our minds, and we must all process our emotions in our own way. These deaths are causing great pain for members of our court community and for people throughout the country, not just because of how these individuals died, but because of the culture and the climate of racism that contributed to their deaths.
Some of our colleagues are afraid to run in their own neighborhoods or to walk in the park. We need to support all of our colleagues, and be willing to open our minds to understand the trauma and pain they experience. When I was appointed as Chief Justice of the Trial Court in 2013, I began an initiative to move the needle on diversity, equity and inclusion. I have made this a priority in my work, and I am determined to continue to pursue this important endeavor. There is no greater time than now, as it is up to us, as a Trial Court community to embrace each other to comfort, in these times of suffering. We, as a Trial Court, remain committed to achieving racial equality and justice. The next step is the world beyond, and we will face the challenges together, and one step at a time.
Paula M. Carey
Chief Justice of the Trial Court