Judge Onzlee Ware becomes Roanoke’s first African American circuit court judge
by Jazmine Otey
Judge Onzlee Ware, 66, remembers as a child watching his mother with worried eyes as she prepared for a civil rights march every Saturday at Woolworth in Greensboro. “I’ll be with you mama, I’m not gonna let them spit on you or kick you,” he’d say in a small voice. But because she feared for his safety, she refused to let him take part. Not too long after, Ware witnessed Woolworth outlaw the segregation of bathrooms, water fountains, movie theaters and other public facilities.
Now Ware serves as the first African American Circuit Court Judge in Roanoke, a position he was promoted to March 27. Prior to this, he was the first African American delegate to represent the 11th district in the Virginia House of Delegates (2004 to 2013). Additionally, in 2014, he became the state’s first African American Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court judge, 23rd District.
As he relays his experience, a massive Civil War painting of him standing alongside former president Barack Obama, African tribal masks and a plethora of photographs of Muhammad Ali are some of the many objects that fill the walls of his home in northwest, Roanoke.
“My life has always been pretty simple,” Ware said. “I always wanted to do something that I could be remembered for and something that makes a change for the better in people’s lives.”
Growing up, Ware was angered by how African Americans were treated and knew something had to be done to combat racial inequality. His inquisitive eyes scanned every book he could get his hands on that helped to educate him on African American history and expand his mind.
“My mother told me that no matter what (racist) Whites do to you, they can never take what’s in your head. She told me to always walk with my head up and my shoulders squared back.” Ware said.
To this day, her words are still an integral part of how he thinks, and his mother continues to be one of his biggest inspirations.
Muhammad Ali also inspired Ware. “It was the first time in my life that I saw an African American man be defiant to White America,” Ware explained. “It changed everything. Ali really expanded how I think and had a profound impact on me by allowing me to understand that I could be who I wanted to be rather than what anyone else wanted me to be.”
But his journey to serve and help the African American community didn’t come easy. Despite the fact that he graduated in the top 15% of his class, his high school counselor told him he wasn’t smart enough to attend law school. Nonetheless, he didn’t let her doubt shake his determination.
“My mom told me, ‘I’m telling you son, that’s what the counselor wants you to believe. You can do anything you wanna do,’ and so, I did,” Ware said. This tenacious mindset was what led him to the two historic positions on the bench.
Richard Chubb, 83, said he watched Ware carry out his dream to become a lawyer and judge. Chubb met Ware in the mid-1980s when he was a school principal while Ware was working with the Boy Scouts of America – his first job upon relocating to Roanoke.
“I’d describe him as a go-getter and a person who knows his roots,” Chubb said. “He’s someone who also knows that with adversity people will try to keep you down, but you have to get up. He’s a fighter.”
Referring to the murder of George Floyd and racial inequalities still present in U.S., Chubb said that African Americans still have a noose around their necks and that Ware is a role model for many in the Roanoke community, especially young individuals during such trying times.
“You have to see hope. You have to see somebody that looks like you,” Chubb said. “I just think he’s one of the greatest role models in the Roanoke community.”
Regardless of his achievements, Ware believes that the battle to defeat systemic racism in the U.S. today is far from over. He spoke on the protests that are happening throughout the U.S. and other countries in response to the murder of George Floyd and mistreatment of African Americans.
“It’s painful when I hear of the shootings and senseless killings especially of African American men who in my opinion have always been a target of racism and discrimination. It’s especially painful for me because I’ve seen much of it.”
Ware emphasized that African Americans have to be proactive about dismantling the racial disparity that continues to exist today, adding it’s crucial that African Americans pay attention to local politics, issues happening within their community and the lack of diversity in the judicial system.
According to Ware, African American leaders in Roanoke City need to come together and discuss ways to better the community for African Americans. He added that African Americans in power, such as Oprah and well-renowned NBA players, need to also congregate with the masses and use such tactics as boycotting corporations that African American people support the most to create lasting change.
From here on out, Ware will continue to fuel the burning passion he has had to help others since he was a child.
“The U.S. needs to admit that since the day they brought the first slave over, that was the most heinous crime they could commit against another human being,” Ware said. “For this stuff to change, it has to be a diversified, unified effort because hate is contagious but so is love.”
