OL Reign Legend: Justice G. Helen Whitener
The Legends Campaign, a partnership between OL Reign and Starbucks, honors women for their extraordinary contributions to our community in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Prior to our June 22 match against the Chicago Red Stars, OL Reign recognized Washington State Supreme Court Justice G. Helen Whitener for her outstanding work in the community.
Justice Whitener is a lifelong advocate of justice and equity. Born and raised in the Caribbean Island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, she is the first Black woman to serve on the Washington Supreme Court, the fourth immigrant-born Justice and the first Black LGBTQ+ judge in the State of Washington. She was appointed to the Washington State Supreme Court in April 2020 and she was elected by the voters to retain her position on the State Supreme Court in November 2020. In June 2021, Justice Whitener was named 2021 Public Official of the Year by The Evergreen State College’s Master of Public Administration Program for her legal and judicial careers, which have centered “on a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion that is a model for other judges and public service professionals.” Justice Whitener truly exemplifies what it means to be an OL Reign Legend.
In January 2021, Justice Whitener received the Western Region of the National Black Law Students Association Judge of the Year Award. The 400 Years of African American History Commission has also honored Justice Whitener, naming her a 2020 Distinguished 400 Awardee. Additionally in 2020, Justice Whitener received the Washington Women Lawyers Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst Passing the Torch Award and she received the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges President’s Award. In 2019, Justice Whitener was awarded the Washington State Bar Association’s Charles Z. Smith Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award, the King County Washington Women Lawyers President’s Award, the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association Service to Diversity Award, and the Seattle University School of Law and Women’s Law Caucus Woman of the Year Award. In 2018, Justice Whitener received the Pierce County Washington Women Lawyers Woman of the Year Award.
Justice Whitener chairs the state’s Annual Judicial Conference Planning Committee, the purpose of which is to provide yearly education related to the improvement of the judicial system and the administration of justice for all Washington state judges. Justice Whitener is also the Appellate Court Representative to the Washington Supreme Court Interpreter Commission, and she is the former co-chair of the Washington State Minority and Justice Commission. Justice Whitener serves on the Board of Directors of the International Association of LGBT Judges as well as on the Washington State Office of Civil Legal Aid Oversight Committee.
Additionally, Justice Whitener is a member of the International Association of Women Judges, the National Association of Women Judges, and the American Judges Association. She is also a former chair and co-chair of the Washington State Superior Court Judges’ Association–Equity and Fairness Committee. Justice Whitener is a judicial member of Washington Women Lawyers and is a judicial member of the Advisory Council for the QLaw Association of Washington.
Her journey to the Washington State Supreme court is inspiring, as she was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago but came to the United States for medical care unexpectedly at age 16, when she became paralyzed on her right side. After six months of rehabilitation, her cousin encouraged Whitener to put in an application to university in the United States. Following that advise, Whitener earned an undergraduate degree from Baruch College. After spending some time working in Anchorage, Alaska, she got tired of the cold, so a friend suggested she move to Washington. Once she arrived, she worked at accounting firm in Bellevue and met a lawyer, who recommended she go to law school. Her mother always wanted to be a lawyer but became a teacher instead. Justice Whitener was unsure if that was the route she wanted to take at first, but ultimately decided to go to Seattle University School of Law, starting her journey in the legal profession.
Since that time, she has worked in a lot of different areas of law, eventually running for Pierce County Superior Court in 2012… and she lost. She consulted her opponent and future colleague, who suggested she gain more experience in the civil law side of things, so she did just that. After years of hard work, Governor Inslee called her up in 2015 and appointed her to the Pierce County Superior Court, where she worked for just five years before getting called to the Supreme Court.
As someone who is known for inspiring younger generations, Justice Whitener offered some advice to those pursuing their own goals. “Believe in yourself. You don’t have to see yourself somewhere to be there,” she started with. “There are many firsts, so if I was waiting to someone like me to be where I wanted to be, I wouldn’t be here. Go after your dream.”
“Another thing to remember is failure is not an option; it is an opportunity to succeed,” said Justice Whitener. “My journey has been one where failures have been overcome because it is just not an option. If I put my mind on something, I’m not going to let someone tell me no. I’m going to try first and if I hit the wall and it says no, now I believe you. I won’t take your word for it; I’m going to try.”
Justice Whitener quickly added, “I have to be careful when I say, ‘believe in your dream’ because I like people to have dreams but I’d rather they have goals. So, I always take those dreams and create a goal. Believe in yourself, pursue your dream or your goal and don’t let failures stop you. If it is something you really want to do, just keep trying.”
She reiterated the fact that outside hurdles should not stop you from pursuing anything you want, even if someone like you has not been there before. “If there isn’t a first, you become the first. It is extremely powerful that when the first turns around and represents others. When you can, use that position to speak up, voice up, act up so that the others can see themselves in that position as well and you open the door up for others.”
Justice Whitener then gave an example of this from her personal journey. “I was ten years old when my mother graduated from university with her teaching degree. I remember thinking, age does not stop you from pursuing an education. Second, having a family does not stop you from pursing an education. And third, what my siblings and I realized is that we wanted to do better than she did so we could say ‘look mom, we took it one step further’. She was the first in our family to get that degree, but she wasn’t the last.”
To get to where she is now, Justice Whitener has lived by “the three v’s.” The three v’s include be vocal, be visible and be vigilant. “The more I move up, as far as my career in the high court, it has followed me. First, be vocal. You are gaining a platform and the audience needs to hear your message. Second, be visible when you can. Be visible for those who cannot be seen. Give a voice to those that most folks just brush over. In my case, when people hear a Supreme Court Justice call herself queer or talk about her wife, they have a moment where they are like ‘did I just hear that right? Oh my gosh, it’s possible!’ Third, be vigilant. Keep going, failure is not an option. Whenever they put a hurdle in front of you, be vigilant about getting rid of those barriers. Our purpose in life is service and giving; It is about using your platform to give back and enjoy that.”
Justice Whitener has a unique and strong connection to the beautiful game. “Soccer is in my blood,” she said. “One of the national sports of Trinidad and Tobago is football. My father and my uncle played for the national team. My cousin also was on the national team for many years and my eldest brother coached soccer for many years.”
When asked about being honored as an OL Reign Legend, Justice Whitener paused to reflect. “When I got the email, I was first of all, shocked, because I do not see myself as a legend. Legends are usually finished with their work, but I’m still working, I have more to do. I never saw anything like this coming my way. I do what I do because I think it’s right.”
“Then I realized how much of an honor it is and I was humbled. We are dealing with a group of exceptional women. The Reign team are trailblazers. What I love about the group is it is not just about them. It is about giving back, which aligns with who I am, so to be acknowledged and honored by that group is very humbling and a great honor. They use that platform that they have rightfully earned to do right and that’s all you can ask. As we say on the island ‘respect, straight up respect.’”
OL Reign and Starbucks are proud to honor Supreme Court Justice Whitener for all of her contributions to our community and her persistent pursuit of equity and justice for all.