A frail elderly Black woman slowly walked through the corridor of a fictional courthouse, clutching a battered leather folder against her chest. Exhausted and emotional, she sat on a bench near a courtroom and quietly wiped tears from her eyes.
Moments later, a sharply dressed young attorney approached. Seeing her near the entrance, he impatiently ordered her to move.
“I’m here for the hearing,” the woman explained.
The attorney dismissed her answer and insisted she wait somewhere else. When she quietly told him that the judge was expecting her, he laughed and blocked the courtroom door.
“The judge isn’t waiting for you,” he replied.
The woman calmly opened her folder.
Inside were hearing papers and a folded judicial robe.
The attorney’s expression immediately changed.
The elderly woman was the senior judge assigned to preside over the hearing.
“You’re the judge?” he asked in disbelief.
She confirmed it before addressing his conduct. His mistake was not simply failing to recognize her position—it was deciding how she deserved to be treated based on an assumption.
The fictional encounter offers a simple lesson: courtesy should come before titles, status, or appearances.