Judge Jimmie M. Edwards, nationally recognized for his commitment to at-risk youth and director of public safety for the city of St. Louis, Mo., will lead a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration from 12:45 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22, at Vermont Law School. The celebration, open to the public, will take place in Chase Community Center at VLS.
Edwards oversees more than 3,500 employees, including police and fire departments, in his role as the head of St. Louis public safety. He is widely known for his commitment to troubled youth, and believes committed community partners can help change the behaviors and outlook of citizens and neighborhoods alike. In 2009 he opened Innovative Concept Academy, a school dedicated to educating at-risk youth while combating risk factors and negative behaviors that keep them from obtaining a high school diploma.
“We look forward to celebrating Dr. King’s legacy with Judge Jimmie Edwards, whose inspiring work with young people underscores his belief that public servants must work tirelessly to help those unable to help themselves,” said VLS Associate Dean Shirley Jefferson JD’86. “Judge Edwards believes that public safety is everyone’s responsibility, part of the core of being a member of society, and that justice is only as effective as our citizenry and our respect for one another. We invite our neighbors to come together at Vermont Law School to honor Dr. King and to learn more about Judge Edwards’ important work and how we can all make a difference in our communities and protect the future of our young people.”
Edwards was appointed public safety director for St. Louis in November 2017. He previously served as a circuit judge in Missouri for over 25 years and as a family court administrative judge for several years. After recognizing that St. Louis was suffering from an unrelenting cycle of juvenile offenders dropping out of school and being expelled at high rates, cementing a path to lifelong criminality, Edwards resolved to address the problem himself. With his background, he is more familiar than most with the issues surrounding urban crime and violence, but recognizes that our justice system is one piece of a complex puzzle. His experience tells him that no amount of law enforcement, no kind of ace police work, nor any improvement in the makeup and conduct of our law enforcement will ever improve public safety without the participation of ordinary people.
Edwards has received national acclaim from “The Early Show” on CBS, the “Today” show on NBC, and The Wall Street Journal. People magazine named him one of its 2011 Heroes of the Year, and Ebony magazine named him among its 2013 Power 100. Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts presented Edwards with the William Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence, one of our nation’s highest judicial awards, and the National Bar Association Judicial Council presented him with the Raymond Pace Alexander Award for his contribution to judicial advocacy and humanity. In 2014, Edwards received honorary law degrees from Saint Louis University and Eden Theological Seminary, and in 2016 was inducted into the Missouri Public Service Hall of Fame. In 2017, he was inducted into the Order of Fleur De Lis, Saint Louis University School of Law Hall of Fame.
For more information about the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at Vermont Law School, or about student affairs and diversity at VLS, email Associate Dean Shirley Jefferson at sjefferson@vermontlaw.edu or call 802-831-1238. For more information about news and events at VLS, visit vermontlaw.edu/news-and-events.