Guyanese-born Justice Sharon Bourne-Clarke says she was “obviously elected” and “blessed” for her community induction ceremony on Dec. 5 at The Betty Carter Auditorium, at the Major Owens Health and Wellness Center, on Bedford Avenue in the heart of the Caribbean community in Brooklyn, where she lives and has supported her.
Justice Bourne-Clarke — who was elected to The Supreme Court in the State of New York in 2023, currently serves as an Acting Justice of The Supreme Court and has over 30 years of legal experience — was inducted, before over 240 guests, by her mentor, Trinidadian-born Justice Wavny Toussaint, the presiding Justice for the Appellate Term, Supreme Court 9th, 11th and 13th Judicial Districts.
Justice Bourne-Clarke, who and her family live in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn, told Caribbean Life exclusively on Sunday that she was “happy” that her parents, Chesterfield and Eileen Bourne, who migrated to America in 1970, “without much materially, were able to see the fruits of their labor.”
“My parents gave up a comfortable life in Guyana and fled to Barbados because of race riots in 1970,” she said. “My father, who is of African descent, no longer felt safe in his adopted homeland. So, they fled to his homeland, Barbados, where they stayed for a short while before moving on to New York.
“They were seeking opportunity for themselves and their children,” Justice Bourne-Clarke added. “They had four girls at that time — Sharon, Sandra, Debbie and Jackie — and wanted the best for us. I am the oldest of the children my parents have together.
“They subsequently had a son, who was born in New York (Chester),” she added. “I have an older brother (Robert) from my father’s side whom we are all very close to, who also grew up with us here in New York and continues to reside in Brooklyn with his wife and family.”
Justice Bourne-Clarke also said she was “happy to materialize” her ancestors’ dreams.
She said her maternal grandfather, Thomas Li-A-Ping, always wanted to be a lawyer in Guyana (Islington, Bernice).
“But those opportunities did not exist for him during his time,” she said. “He was alive when I became an attorney and was extremely proud of me; Though in my family that is not shown or told. It is just expected.
“My parents are very happy and proud, and I am pleased that they are alive and well to celebrate this accomplishment with me,” Justice Bourne-Clarke added. “The comments that I received from those who attended the induction were that they felt gratitude and love permeating the room.
“My husband, Devon Clarke, spoke about my dream to become a judge since age 13 and how he made it his goal to help me to bring my goals to fruition,” continued Justice Bourne-Clarke about her Jamaican-born husband, who is also a lawyer in Brooklyn and City University of New York (CUNY) Law School graduate, as is Justice Bourne-Clarke.
Justice Bourne-Clarke said that since she became a judge in Civil Court in 2014, she “faced many hurdles to advancement and had basically given up on seeking elevation to the Supreme Court.
“It was the encouragement of my mentor, Justice Wavny Toussaint, who believed in me, encouraged me and supported me that I made the leap to run for Supreme Court in 2022,” she disclosed.
“Once I decided to run, my husband supported me every step of the way; and, for that, I am grateful,” Justice Bourne-Clarke added. “My entire family — sisters and brothers, nieces, nephews and all my in-laws, including both of our children, Leslie, younger son, Brandon, and his girlfriend, Ziniah — have also been extremely supportive.”
She said everything about the induction ceremony was designed to show her gratitude to members of the community who supported her.
“There was no pomp or circumstance,” she said. “It was a simple evening showing gratitude. I wanted them to be embraced with a feeling of love and appreciation from the time they entered the room until they left.
“For that reason, the event was designed as a gala and not as a typical induction,” she added, noting that District Leaders (DL) Sarana Purcell and Vice Chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party and DL Henry Butler were the hosts of the event.
“Sarana Purcell and Akel Williams are my home district leaders, and I was blessed to have both of their unwavering support,” continued Justice Bourne-Clarke, stating that Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair, Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte-Hermelyn, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, who represents the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn, was unable to attend but sent a citation.
Justice Bourne-Clarke was originally elected through the Real Action Community Democratic Club (RACDEM) in the 58th Assembly District in Brooklyn, which was led, at the time, by former Assemblyman, Jamaican N. Nick Perry, current United States Ambassador to Jamaica. RACDEM is now led by Council Member, Haitian-born, Mercedes Narcisse and Andrenia Burgess.
Pastor Carolyn Rayside of Tabernacle of Praise Cathedral on Utica Avenue in Brooklyn delivered the invocation while Pastor Louis Straker, Jr., the son of former St. Vincent and the Grenadines Deputy Prime Minister Sir Louis Straker, Sr., of Reflections Church, also on Utica Avenue gave the Benediction.
“I did not want the program to be about me, but protocol required that we speak of the journey,” said Justice Bourne-Clarke, who, in her remarks, primarily thanked leaders of the community who assisted her in her journey.
She began by singing the first verse of Buju Banton’s “It’s not an Easy Road.” She said Banton is one of her favorite singers.
“That got me through this campaign,” she said about “It’s not an Easy Road.”
The long list of “Thank You” included: Campaign manager, the Rev. William Taharka Robinson; Vice Chair Henry Butler; DLs Sarana Purcell, Akel Williams, Assemblywoman Nikki Lucas, Dana Rachlin, DL and Councilwoman Narcisse (“great friend and supporter in 2014 and 2023”), Anthony Jones, Dionne Brown-Jordan, Micheal Boomer, Shaquana Boykin, Kenesha Trayham-Cooper, Jacqui Painter, Julio Pena and Mark Hanna, “who were all instrumental in this journey.”
“They realized and recognized my qualifications and that my elevation was long overdue,” Justice Bourne-Clarke said. “In addition, that I was not only one of the most senior candidates running, but, of all the candidates, I had the widest range of experiences, having served in every court in Kings County.”
As a result, she said she was the first-round pick of the candidates at the Brooklyn Democratic Convention in August, receiving the highest number of votes of all the candidates on the Democratic Party line and, overall, across all lines.
“I am grateful and feel blessed to have the opportunity to serve my community in this capacity as a Supreme Court Justice for several reasons,” she said. “Over the past nine years, I had the honor to serve my community in the capacity of a Criminal Court Judge, where I saw many young people from our communities heading down the wrong path. I spoke to them, as I spoke to my children, when they appeared before me.
“When community service was mandated, I reached out to pastors in my community to have them fulfill that obligation in an environment, where they can receive some additional instruction and love,” Justice Bourne-Clarke added.
When she served in Family Court, she said her goal was to keep as many families intact as reasonably possible “to prevent the youth from engaging in conduct that would land them before a Criminal Court Judge.”
“My goal was to try to get the parents to work together to the extent possible for the benefit of their children,” she said. “In Civil Court, my goal was to provide economic justice to our communities.”
Over the past year, Justice Bourne-Clarke said she presided over many deed fraud and deed theft cases, and had the opportunity to address, “in a positive way, some of the ills that have been afflicting our communities of color.”
She said she will let the community know, when it’s official, where she will be assigned next year, but added that “wherever I will be, the litigants will be treated with dignity and respect.”
“My mission is always to provide equal justice to our communities and to give every litigant an opportunity to feel seen and to be heard,” Justice Bourne-Clarke said. “Fair and impartial justice with compassion is my byline.
“The other reason is that it gives young boys and girls in my community the opportunity to see the possibilities that are available for them,” she continued. “My goal, when I leave the bench, is to have motivated and supported at least three young people to join the bench.”
Justice Bourne-Clarke said her principal court attorney, Robert Beckford, who is of Jamaican descent and who resides in her community, did not initially aspire to become a judge; but now, that is his goal.
She said her other court attorney Cory Provost, also of Jamaican heritage, has already articulated his judicial aspirations.
“I have a responsibility to our community to truly affect change by teaching, motivating, empowering and mentoring those in my orbit and beyond to continue the work of the leaders who paved the way for me,” Justice Bourne-Clarke said. “I am truly grateful for all who helped me to reach this goal and for everyone who came out to celebrate with me.”
She said attendees at the induction ceremony also ranged from classmates in junior high school; high school; college; law school; “every job I every had;” court officers; court staff; judges; church sisters; “my amazing naturopathic doctor, Dr. Selassie; my acupuncturist team from Life Wellness Center; my husband’s soccer buddies; my travel friends; and my neighbors who are also my friends.”
“I am blessed!” stressed Justice Bourne-Clarke, who was elected as a Civil Court Judge in 2014.
Prior to her appointment as an acting Supreme Court justice, she served in Criminal Court, Family Court and Civil Court in Brooklyn, and in Civil Court in Richmond County (Staten Island).
Before her tenure as a judge, Justice Bourne-Clarke served as the deputy general counsel for the New York State Division of Human Rights, protecting the rights of New Yorkers against discrimination in the workplace, housing, public spaces and all protected rights under the New York State and United States Constitution.
There, she said she also represented the agency in all cause of actions initiated against it; served on Gov. David Paterson’s Hate Crimes Task Force – Immigration Subcommittee to ensure that any immigrant who was the victim of a hate receive medical attention, irrespective of immigration status; NYS Cyber Security Task Force; and also co-created a Teach The Teacher Program to address bias in the schools.
Justice Bourne-Clarke also served as counsel in the Office of Corporation Counsel, where she assisted with the largest private takeover in the City’s history at that time, when the City of New York took over the six private bus lines. She was responsible for overseeing over 1,000 personal injury cases from six private law firms, because of this merger.
Prior to that, she served as an attorney in private practice, representing litigants in Family Court, Supreme Court and Federal Court, “vindicating their rights in myriad actions.”
During that time, Justice Bourne-Clarke said she was recommended to serve on then Chief Judge Judith Kaye’s Matrimonial Access to Justice Task Force, though she ultimately did not complete service due to personal responsibilities.
Justice Bourne-Clarke said that during the foreclosure crisis, she opened a non-profit legal organization, Central Brooklyn Legal Services, to assist residents in Central Brooklyn to navigate foreclosure actions. However, she decided to run for judge soon afterwards.
Shortly after her graduation from law school, Justice Bourne-Clarke worked at Walker & Bailey, a private law firm in Harlem led by Cora Thomasina Walker, the first Black woman to obtain a contract to represent New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). There, she represented NYCHA, along with State Farm Insurance, Conrail and New Jersey Transit.
Justic Bourne-Clarke said she began her legal career as an intern with the Legal Aid Society, representing indigents persons who were accused of criminal offenses. She also interned at Community Law Offices in Harlem, representing indigent litigants in administrative proceedings.
Justice Bourne-Clarke said she is “a teacher at heart” and has served as an Assistant Professor in Criminal Law and Criminology at Borough of Manhattan Community College in their joint degree program with John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
She said she has a diverse employment profile, because she wanted “to be versed in many areas of law before taking the bench,” which was her ultimate goal and dream since she was 13.
Justice Bourne-Clarke said she has always been “a voice for the voiceless” and has a strong history of volunteerism in the community, dating back to junior high school, where she received an award for volunteerism from then Brooklyn District Attorney Eugene Gold.
She said she mentors many young people in the community and speaks at Brooklyn College High School Academy every semester; and, until 2020, she spoke at Harvard University Women In Public Policy Program – Harvard Square to Oval Office program, which encourages women to run for office annually since 2014.
Justice Bourne-Clarke said she is “a proud member” of The Caribbean American Lawyers Association and the Brooklyn Bar Association.
She is a graduate of Brooklyn College, CUNY Law School and the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.
Justice Bourne-Clarke said she is “happily married” to Devon Clarke, and is “the proud mother of two sons, Leslie and Brandon, and aunt to seven nephews and four nieces.”
