League of Women Voters will host conversation with Judge Lionel Jean-Baptiste

Lionel Jean-Baptiste, a leading member of the Haitian community, is a lawyer, former member of the Evanston City Council, and now Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County.

On Tuesday, January 18, at 7:00 p.m., Jean-Baptiste will appear in a live program sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Evanston as a Zoom presentation. He will share his thoughts on a variety of issues including the current situation in Haiti, the changing demographics of the local Haitian community, immigration issues and recent criminal justice legislation in Illinois.

A native Haitian, Lionel Jean-Baptiste immigrated to the United States at age 14 and subsequently graduated from Princeton University with a degree in political science. As a political activist in New York, he also served as a teacher, adjunct professor, and the Director of Special Housing for New York City.

Eventually returning to his adopted hometown of Evanston, Illinois, he graduated from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1990. For 20 years he practiced law in a wide variety of areas and worked on special cases, including African American reparations. In March of 2011 he became the first Haitian-American sworn in as Judge by the Illinois Supreme Court.

Registration for this January 18, 7:00 p.m. program is required: Register here

Questions may be submitted to lwvevanston@gmail.com, or 847-859-7883.

The League of Women Voters, a national nonpartisan political organization dedicated to promoting the active and informed participation of citizens in government, sponsors these events as a service to the community. The League of Women Voters neither endorses nor opposes candidates for public office. Visit lwve.org.