5 people inducted into Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — The Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame inducted five new members Thursday at the Ohio Statehouse.

Their accomplishments have helped eliminate barriers to equal opportunity in all corners of Ohio.

ABC 6/FOX 28's Stacia Naquin was part of the ceremony that celebrated the work that has been accomplished and marked the work that is still to be done.

The inductees honored during the ceremony were:

• Former State Sen. John W.E. Bowen
• Bishop Timothy J. Clarke
• Dorothy O. Jackson
• Iris Roley
• Former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton

Bowen was born in Jackson, Miss. and in 1945 was drafted by the Army to serve in World War II. He qualified as a sharpshooter and served in the military police as a special criminal investigator.

After he was honorably discharged in 1946, Bowen received an L.L.B from the Ohio State University School of Law and began his legal career in Columbus. Working for the Columbus City Attorney's Office, Bowen served as the assistant city attorney, senior assistant city attorney, chief counsel of the office's civil division, and first assistant city attorney.

After the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, Bowen sought a Republican nomination for state senate and won by 300 votes, becoming the first Black legislator from Franklin County. During his time in office, more than 17 bill he introduced became law.

After his time in office, Bowen become involved with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, the Ohio Board of Regents, the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce, the Ohio Center Company for Community Urban Redevelopment, the United Methodist Church, the YMCA, United Negro College Fund Columbus Campaign, the Job Development and Empowerment Committed of the Columbus Urban League, the board of trustees of the Columbus Town Meeting, Columbus and Franklin County American Red Cross, the Franklin County Mental Health Association, and the Franklin County Regional Planning Commission.

Clarke was born in Rockway, N.Y. and in 1977 began his pastorate at York Avenue Church of God in Warren, Ohio. He then became the senior pastor of the First Church of God in 1982 and his consecration of the office of Bishop transpired in September 2001.

Clarke founded and is the Chief Prelate of the Berean Fellowship, an international assembly of churches and pastors that is meant to foster community and promote the pastoral ministry.

Clarke uses his preaching to talk bring about social change. He has been outspoken about victims of gun violence, especially those killed by police. His church has hosted funerals for many people killed around Columbus and he has been outspoken about the deaths of Jayland Walker, Andre Hill, Casey Goodson Jr., and Ma'Khia Bryant.

Jackson was born in 1933 in East Akron. Following the death of her father in 1957, she began working at Goodwill Industries as a secretary. During her time there, she learned sign language to help disabled workers she worked with and became passionate about disability rights.

Jackson quickly rose through the ranks and became the assistant director of public relations. After working for a variety of places, including the US Department of Housing and Urban Development for more than 16 years, she was offered the appointment of deputy mayor.

She continued to be an advocate for the needs of the deaf as a sign language interpreter and has interpreted for a number of people including Reverend Jesse Jackson, President Jimmy Carter, and President Bill Clinton. She also set up sign language classes that she taught at the University of Akron, the YMCA, and various churches.

Roley was born in Cincinnati in 1963 and grew up surrounded by civil rights advocates and leaders. Her activism is best known through her work in the development of Cincinnati's Collaborative Agreement.

She also was the founding leader of the Cincinnati Black United Front, whose work in police accountability led to the national acclaimed collaborative agreement, in which Cincinnati and the Fraternal Order of Police agreed to work in the community to forward police reform.

Roley also has been invited to speak and consult on various policing efforts across the nation and has worked with attorneys, community organizers, plaintiffs, and city officials to eliminate stop-and-frisk policies.

She currently serves on the boards for the AMOS Project, City Managers Advisory Board, The Police Chief Advisory Board, The Community Police Partnering Center, the Unofficial Juvenile Court in Madisonville, and the Summer Enrichment Program. She also serves as the sustainability coordinator for the City of Cincinnati.

Stratton was born in Bangkok, Thailand in 1953 to a missionary family. She grew up in southeast Asia and after graduating from the Dalat School in Malaysia in 1971, she moved to the United States to pursue higher education.

She received degrees from the University of Florida, the University of Akron, and Ohio State University before she began practicing as a trial lawyer in Columbus.

In 1987, Stratton became the first woman elected as the Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Franklin County and in 1996, she was appointed to the Ohio Supreme Court by Gov. George Voinovich. She remained on the high court for 16 years.

While serving on the Supreme Court, Stratton formed and chaired the Supre Court of Ohio Advisory Committee on Mental Illness and the Courts. After leaving the bench, she continued to work on her passions of advocacy and mental health reform.

She has been a national and statewide figure in the effort to set up Veterans Treatment Courts and Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists, which aims to help returning veterans with post-traumatic stress.

Stratton currently serves as co-chair of the Attorney General Task Force on Criminal Justice and Mental Illness and leads Step Up Ohio.

This was the 13th annual hall of fame induction.