On May 16, 2024, Shaheena Bennett was sworn in as the first Black female president of the South Carolina Bar Association. The ceremony took place at Cypress Gardens in Moncks Corner, the town in which Bennett was born, raised, and now serves as Chief Judge in its municipal court. A month before, on the eve of the Bar’s 50th anniversary, she and her colleague Nekki Shutt (who is the Bar’s current president) sat down with StoryCorps to talk about what led to that groundbreaking moment.
TRANSCRIPT:
Shutt: I am so excited to serve under you because you're about to become the next…
Bennett: …president of the South Carolina Bar Association.
Shutt: Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! You're also going to be breaking a barrier.
Bennett: That's right. On the eve of our 50th year, 2025 will be the 50-year anniversary for the South Carolina Bar Association. I will be the first African American female president of the Bar.
Shutt: Wow.
Bennett: Yes.
Shutt: How does it feel to be the first?
Bennett: I've got goosebumps right now just talking about it. It's amazing.
Shutt: It is amazing. And you are such an amazing person. So, I want to talk about your journey. Let's start with where were you born?
Bennett: I was born in Moncks Corner, South Carolina. One of seven kids.
Shutt: I think you lived on a family farm, is that right?
Bennett: It was our home that we grew up on. And all of the kids were responsible for certain veggies in the garden, and...
Shutt: And I think you were involved in 4-H?
Bennett: We were all involved in 4-H. And I actually use the quote slogan as something that I've always think about before I move on to sort of the next journey in my life: “I pledge my head for clearer thinking, my heart for greater loyalty, my hands for larger service, and my health for better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world.”
Shutt: Oh, my gosh.
Bennett: That means so much to me. And when I was little, I was always the person who was trying to champion somebody's cause and thought I was going to get on a white stallion and help everyone in the play yard and solve all the world's problems. And I had some teachers who reminded me that maybe the playground wasn't the place for all of that. But my first grade teacher was Ms. Kunkel. She told me I should be a judge. And that's always stuck with me.
Shutt: Not to ruin where we're going, but you end up, you are a judge now, right?
Bennett: I am, I am. Yeah, I'm the judge for the town of Moncks Corner.
Shutt: What was your first job as a lawyer in South Carolina?
Bennett: Well, I clerked for the Honorable Clifton Newman. When I first met Judge Newman, it was his demeanor, his calm, very humble man. And he was very tough on all of his clerks, I've heard. But it was just having a really good experience as his law clerk. He taught me so much. And I used to submit to him briefs for him to review. And he would redline almost every sentence and anything that I presented to him and told me that I basically needed to think outside the box, right? I needed to put heart into what I was writing because it was not just about the message, but it was the impact of the message. And I believe that my experience with Judge Newman has enabled me to be…or have the demeanor that I have when I'm on the bench in the courtroom, and I've tried to emulate him, if you will, over the years.
Shutt: What's going to be your legacy? How do you hope to leave the Bar better than you found it?
Bennett: Yeah. You know, I'd like to, what I call, “bridge the gap,” and tap every area of this state and draw everybody in so they feel that they're part of this magnificent Bar.
Shutt: It's about belonging.
Bennett: Yeah!
Shutt: I love that.
