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On November 2, 2024, on the eve of the New York City Marathon, a paving stone, in the heart of New York City’s iconic Central Park was unveiled in the name of J. Machelle Sweeting. The stone is nestled along the park’s running path on East 85th Street, where Machelle trained as a young runner.
Born with a dislocated hip, Machelle was told by doctors at birth that she would never walk, let alone run. Notwithstanding this prediction, she had set several national records in the 400 and 800-meter runs by the age of nine. She credits her involvement in running with her healthy competitive spirit, teamwork, and discipline. She learned early in life that regardless of one’s environment, with faith, hope, and perseverance, one can overcome the odds. Through education and an athletic scholarship, she worked her way up from the Polo Grounds Housing Projects in Harlem, to college, through law school, and to her current position as a Judge.
Her life record includes many historic firsts. She is the first and only legal practitioner admitted to practice law in both the federal and state courts in New York; Washington, DC; the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd and 4th Circuits; the United States Supreme Court; and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas; the first African American woman Jurist in 2014, to preside in the New York County Family Court in many years.
A graduate of Davidson College in North Carolina, she is the first and only woman Judge in Davidson’s 186-year history.
Aptly engraved: “J. Machelle Sweeting Born to Run for Justice,” the stone, is now a permanent part of the Central Park landscape. It is a beacon of inspiration and a lasting reminder of the power of perseverance, prayer, and community.
