February 16, 2008
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Profile America for the 16th day of Black History Month. Jane Bolin was the first African-American woman to be appointed as a judge in the U.S. She was sworn into a 10-year term on New York Citys Domestic Relations Court in 1939. During her tenure, she made several major changes. Probation officers were assigned to cases without regard to race or religion. And child care agencies receiving public funds had to accept children without regard to their ethnic background. After she retired, she volunteered as a tutor in math and reading for children in the New York City School System. There are 70,000 judges in the U.S., 40 percent of them women, and 7 percent African-American. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.