Credit: The Capers Family
Judge Jean Murrell Capers is revered for shattering the glass ceiling and trailblazing the field of law for Blacks and for women.
Judge Jean Murrell Capers is the first Black woman elected to Cleveland City Council in 1949. She attended Case Western Reserve University on a full scholarship and earned a law degree from the Cleveland Marshall School of Law. Capers, a democrat, won her seat in a historically republican ward. And even though she broke barriers, in a 2012 interview for the Cleveland Municipal Court s 100th anniversary, Capers explained why she felt it was her duty to run for office.