We could not be more excited to announce this year’s Opal Lee Empowerment Award Winner: Judge Maryellen Hicks. This award is given to community members who have spent their lives giving back, advancing progress, and helping us live our values by walking the walk. Judge Hicks has built a legacy defined by “firsts” – she is a critical trailblazer in the Tarrant County community. Most notably: she was the first Black female judge in Tarrant County. In 1974, Judge Hicks graduated from Texas Tech University School of Law, becoming the law school’s first Black female graduate. In 1978, Judge Hicks was appointed as a Municipal Court Judge in Fort Worth, later becoming the Chief Municipal Court Judge, becoming the first Black person and first woman to hold that leadership role. In 1982, Governor Mark White appointed her to the 231st Judicial District Court, where she served for ten years as a family court judge. In this role, she was the first – and remains the only – Black female state District Judge in Fort Worth’s history. In 1994, she was appointed to the Second Court of Appeals by Governor Ann Richards, becoming the first Black person and first female Justice to serve on the court. After leaving the Court of Appeals, Judge Hicks served as a visiting judge in Harris County for almost 20 years. Beyond the bench, Judge Hicks has been deeply involved in the Tarrant County community: she founded the African-American Summit for Peace, Justice, and Equality in Tarrant County, she hosted “Speak Out”, a talk show on KKDA radio, and she has been a lifelong active member of the NAACP, the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the Fort Worth Black Bar Association, and the Black Women Lawyers of Tarrant County. She was aptly named the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s “Woman of the Year” in 1993. In 2026, the Black Women Lawyers Association of Tarrant County renamed itself in her honor as the Maryellen Hicks Black Women Lawyers Association. Every ounce of progress we make in any avenue is built on the shoulders of those who came before us. Thank you, Judge Hicks, for your fearless and steadfast leadership in Texas and for a lifetime spent empowering others.