LaDoris Cordell on Activism & Democracy
Spring 2026 in the speaker series, Community, Faith, and Racial Justice. This series on racial injustice in America explores the role of Christianity, including the current white Christian Nationalist movement, in racial injustice and seeks to define a path toward justice, healing and reconciliation.
Judge (Ret.) LaDoris Cordell will speak on Activism & Democracy
On March 22, 2026 at 2:00 pm in the Parish Hall, our speaker will be Judge (Ret.) LaDoris Cordell. Judge Cordell is a Former Superior Court Justice, Legal Commentator and Police Reform Advocate. Her theme is: “The Eleventh Commandment: How Activism Has Been and Continues to be Critical to the Preservation of Our Democracy.”
Judge Cordell is a legal commentator and police reform advocate whose public service record spans decades. The first African American female to serve on the Superior Court in Northern California, she has overseen commissions that investigated violence and mental health care in the Santa Clara County jail system, accounts of racism in the San Francisco police department, and allegations of misconduct in the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. The recipient of numerous awards for her work, Judge Cordell founded the African American Donor Task Force and co-founded the African American Composer Initiative and California Parks for All.
Her memoir, Her Honor: My Life on the Bench . . . What Works, What’s Broken, How to Change It, was published in 2021.
Date and Time: March 22, 2026, 2:00 PM
Location: St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Ave., Palo Alto, CA.
Tickets: Please register for HERE for FREE tickets.
Accessibility: St. Mark’s is wheelchair accessible; closed captioning will be available.
Parking: Ample parking behind the church.
Questions: Please email beloved_community@saint-marks.com
Presenting Sponsor: Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church – Palo Alto
Co-Sponsors: American Muslim Voice Foundation • First Congregational Church of Palo Alto UCC • First Presbyterian Church, Palo Alto • Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice • Peninsula Solidarity Cohort • Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Saratoga • Saint Jude’s Episcopal Church, Cupertino • Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, Burlingame • Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church, Redwood City • Saint Thomas Episcopal Church, Sunnyvale • Saint Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Mountain View • Showing Up for Racial Justice Santa Clara County • Stanford Canterbury • Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, San Jose • Trinity Episcopal Church, Menlo Park • Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto • University Lutheran Church at Stanford