A Black female judge in Texas who was part of the historic wave of Black women candidates who swept into office last year has died.
Cassandra Hollemon, 57, succumbed to an unspecified illness on Monday, the Houston Chronicle reported. She was one of 17 Black women in the Black Girl Magic group of candidates who won seats in Harris County courtrooms in 2018.
Hollemon, who practiced criminal law for more than two decades, was assigned to the Harris County Criminal Court of Law 12. She came to the bench focused on doing her part to reform the criminal justice system in Texas’ largest county, which includes Houston.
While Black women candidates made history at the congressional level, they also made impressive gains at state and local levels. In Harris County, Democrats unseated more than 50 incumbent Republican judges in November. That wave included the 17 Black women judges who were part of the so-called Black Girl Magic campaign, which was coined by the county’s Democratic Party after the candidates won their primary election.
Hollemon leaves behind a son, a daughter, and a granddaughter. Her funeral is scheduled for Saturday.
