HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — We hear so many stories of women around the world who break barriers and shatter glass ceilings, but those leaders live here too in the Tennessee Valley!
FOX54 News spoke with one local attorney whose mission is to also help people restore their voting rights and clear their records. Here’s her story!
Managing Attorney, Raven Perry-Beach, of Beach Law Practice was born in Walker County. She's been following her calling for almost thirty years now. Her Godmother, The Honorable Debra Winston, a judge in Jefferson County, supported her along the way.
“Maybe 13 years old, we sat down, had a conversation and she asked what I wanted to be when I grew up and I just wasn't sure. And she said, You know, I think you're smart enough. I think you can do this. And so from then on out, I decided that that's what I would do,” said, Raven Perry-Beach.
Perry-Beach earned her Juris Doctorate from Vermont Law, after earning her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice at UAB. “My first job after I was admitted to the bar was actually in Washington, D.C, right cross from the White House. It was very exciting. I was an attorney-advisor to the Board of Veterans Appeals.”
Last year Perry-Beach was appointed the first Black President of the Madison County Volunteer Lawyers Program. The group is Alabama's oldest pro-bono clinc.
“Being a black female attorney has been a challenge. I mean, I chose the field that is predominantly predominately male and white. So they're oftentimes that I enter a courtroom and I stand out and I've learned to embrace that. And I've learned to not be afraid to take up space and own who I am, and prove that I've earned the right to occupy that space,” said Perry-Beach.
Breaking barriers runs in her family. In 2020, Perry-Beach helped swear in her older sister, Madison County Commissioner Violet Edwards of District 6. Edwards became the first Black woman to serve on the commission.
“That was an amazing day. And it was an amazing experience. And it's something that we'll both always cherish,” said Perry-Beach.
Perry-Beach’s message to young girls and women:
“Don't be afraid and that ultimately, you belong. And I think it took me a while to realize that but you belong,” said Perry-Beach.