Page 12 - NC Triangle Vol 7 No 2

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley February 12, Governor Roy Cooper named Cheri Beasley as
HEADSHOTS AND CORPORATE
AALM: Your mother was the dean of social works programs at several universities. Did she press you toward a career in social work or was that something you picked up organi- cally?
Beasley: Early on service was very impor- tant in our home. I was volunteered by my mom o en for campaigns or Red Cross ef- forts or just community e orts; we spent a lot of time giving back. At some point, it became less of an expectation and more of an oppor- tunity for me in my own right to think about how I wanted to live my own life and how I could make a contribution.
AALM: You almost became a professional musician.
Beasley: I started playing ute in the third grade and played all through high school. I was in the Nashville Youth Symphony Or- chestra and did really well. I applied to a lot of undergraduate schools, one of which was Jul- liard, where I was accepted. I certainly thought about it, but I didn’t see a career in music. I’ve enjoyed it recreationally on and o through the years with family, the people who love me the most. It’s fun playing with my sons. ey are great, consummate musicians. It’s great for them to let me play with them now and then.
On
North Carolina’s rst African-American woman to serve as chief justice of the Supreme Court.
She had served as an associate justice on the high court since 2012 when she was appointed by Governor Bev Perdue to ll the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson.
Shortly before her March 7 investiture, Chief Justice Beasley sat down for an exclusive interview with Attorney at Law Magazine NC Triangle Executive Publisher Bob Friedman.
AALM: You will always have the pre x “the rst African-American woman to be chief justice in North Carolina” associated with your name. Is that a burden? Would you prefer to be known strictly as a great jurist based on your accomplishments?
Beasley: I don’t think it’s a burden at all. It’s a great honor. is is 2019, and you know, it’s time. I’m okay with being an African-Ameri- can woman. It’s been a great place to be for the last several years of my life. People will identify me in the ways they want to. I’m very comfort- able with who I am, and it is just one of the greatest honors of my life, and so I’m okay with that designation.
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