Two seasoned and qualified African American women from Philadelphia are both running for Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court. They are The Honorable Judge Lori A. Dumas and The Honorable Judge Sierra Street. They are both currently Judges sitting on the bench in Philadelphia courtrooms. Today’s SCOOP Column shines the spotlight on each of them as we help get voters ready to cast votes for the candidates of your choice come Tuesday, May 18th, during the Spring Primary Election in Pennsylvania.
Showing no favoritism here, I will spotlight these two dynamic judges alphabetically.
As a Judge who has served on the bench for over 18 years, the honorable Lori A. Dumas is an impactful voice in the city of Philadelphia. She has served as a Common Pleas Court Judge in the Philadelphia Family Court Juvenile Division for the majority of her tenure, where she fought for fair and equal justice for Philadelphia’s most vulnerable children and families. Judge Dumas has served in the criminal division. Currently, she is assigned to the civil division. She has presided over thousands of trials, both jury and non-jury. While serving in Family Court, Judge Dumas established herself as an innovative leader in guiding the city of Philadelphia in its creation of the first judicial district’s juvenile human trafficking court, which provided services to youth that had been victims of commercial exploitation. She led many of the initiatives that were created to enhance the work of the court and ensure that children in the system were the beneficiaries of some of the most innovative and effective services to lead them to success.
In the community, Judge Dumas seizes every opportunity to educate her fellow jurists and other stakeholders about human trafficking, victims, trauma, and the court’s role as a change agent in the lives of vulnerable children. Judge Dumas also serves as the local Chair of a national anti-violence program that uses literacy as a therapeutic tool to assist youth who have been traumatized by violence. Judge Dumas’s contributions have been recognized both locally and nationally.
In addition to her professional responsibilities, Judge Dumas has worked tirelessly with many boards and organ- izations including, The Mann Center, Penn’s Village, Philadelphia Triple Threat, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Northwest Victim Services, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and The Links, Inc. She is also a member of the PA Bar Association, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, National Campaign to Stop Violence, and a former officer of the Juvenile Court Judge Commission. Judge Dumas also served on several committees of the First Judicial District, such as the Elder Justice Task Force and the Juvenile and Education Committees, to name a few. Judge Dumas is a graduate of the Fels Institute of Gov- ernment at the University of Pennsylvania. DiverseForce Board Governance Program and is also a Georgetown Fellow, specializing in sys- tems that serve Crossover youth. She holds a certifi- cate in Diversity and Inclu- sion from Cornell University, and she is a PA licensed personal care home administrator. Judge Dumas has taught legal courses at several local institutions. A native Philadelphian, Judge Dumas received her Bache- lor’s degree in Sociology from Duke University. She obtained her Juris Doctorate from North Carolina Central University School of Law where she was a distinguished member of the Law Review. She is the mother of two adult children and a middle school student.
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And now, for Judge Sierra Street. Raised by a single mother, a nurse and, an Army veteran in a working-class family, Judge Street understands the demands of the every- day person and how rules, education, and proper guidance are tools for a successful life. She graduated from Howard University with Honors, majoring in Political Science and English. Judge Street is also a graduate of Temple University School of Law–where she served as President of the Black Law Students Association and participated in a summer abroad law program at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Judge Street also interned at the United States Department of State while in college and at The White House while in law school.
Following law school, Judge Street worked for several years as a law clerk in the First Judicial District and then a Hearing Officer in Philadelphia Family Court while simultaneously representing members of a local union in various matters as prepaid legal services. In her next position, Judge Street worked as a Trial Attorney at the Defender Association of Philadelphia for several years, where she represented indigent juveniles and adults in hundreds, if not thousands, of hearings and trials daily. After leaving the Defender Association, Judge Street became Chief Counsel at Friends Rehabilitation Program (FRP), Inc. a non-profit organization that provides affordable housing and social services to low-and moderate-income families and to families who had been homeless. At FRP, she prepared development applications, supervised development projects, handled zoning issues, and represented the agency in all legal matters, primarily civil matters.
In 2013, Judge Street was elected to the Court of Common Pleas in the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania. She is assigned to the Civil Trial Division, Complex Litigation Center where she handles various matters including statutory appeals involving government entities. She was previously assigned to the Major Trials Program in the Criminal Division where she conducted both bench and jury trials in serious felony matters, including but not limited to Attempted Murder, Rape, Robbery, and Family Violence. Judge Street served as Lead Supervising Judge in the Philadelphia Indicting Grand Jury Program. She is also a co-founder of the Jobs, Training, Employment, and Edu- cation (JTEE) Re-Entry Program. In 2018, Judge Street was selected to participate in the Safe Surrender Program held at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church. She also co- planned the 2019 FJD Educational Retreat for the Court of Common Pleas.
Judge Street is the Immediate Past Chair of the National Bar Association Clifford Scott Green Chapter of Judicial Council. Before being elected as Chair by her peers, she served on the Executive Committee and formed the Judicial Council College Mentoring Program in local area high schools. From 2015-2020, Judge Street served as Chair of the Board of Judges Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee, which develops and executes annual community service projects for the entire First Judicial District, staff and judges alike. She has also served as a member of the Board of Judges Local Criminal Rules Committee and the Com- munication and Community Affairs Committee. In 2019, Judge Street was nominated and selected to become a member of the prestigious Temple American Inn of Court; where she developed the idea for her group’s educational program around the issues of law, racial disparities in edu- cation, and the history of desegregation in schools.
A member of the Historic Bright Hope Baptist Church in North Philadelphia for over 15 years, Judge Street served as Vice-President of the Hospitality Committee and as a volunteer with the Surviving to Thriving Program. Currently, she is an officer on the Board of Trustees and a member of the Finance Committee. Judge Street is also on the Board of the Stephen Smith Towers Apartment for the Elderly Inc. located in West Philadelphia. Judge Street has two children, one adult and one currently in high school, and one grandchild.
For the record, four Democrats are running for Judge on the PA State Commonwealth Court. There are Judge Dumas and Judge Street, and there are also Judge David Lee Spurgeon and Judge Amanda Green Hawkins. Green Hawkins is also an African American woman who hails from the Pittsburgh area. Two Republicans are running for Commonwealth Court. They are Drew Crompton and Stacey Marie Wallace. Two seats are available.
The clock is ticking on the upcoming Tuesday, May 18th Primary Election in PA. Get to know who the candidates are and which ones you want to vote for.
If you have questions about election day, log on at www.Votespa.com, or call 215-686-3462.
