Shirley for Justice

Books are for everyone. So is justice.In 1937, four-year-old Shirley Abrahamson, the daughter of Polish Jewish immigrants, announced that she wanted to be president of the United States. At age six, she changed her mind. She wanted to be a lawyer. But it was the day a New Jersey librarian refused her a library card-just because her parents didn't own property-that the bookish eight-year-old Shirley learned what fairness really means, and what injustice feels like.Shirley later became a lawyer and made history three times: as Wisconsin's first woman justice, its first woman chief justice, and its longest-serving justice at forty-three years. She spent her career standing up for justice and implementing award-winning programs to demystify courts. Her programs engage children and adults alike, helping them understand what judges do and the importance of an independent judiciary. Today, in honor of her legacy, the doors of a library swing open beneath her name, welcoming everyone who loves books-no matter who they are or where they live.