State's Attorney Foxx Celebrates African American History Month

In recognition of African American History Month, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx along with members of the office’s African American Advisory Council presented the C.F. Stradford awards to two individuals who have made contributions to the African American community through their professional lives.

The Honorable P. Scott Neville, Jr. Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court, First District, 2nd Division and Dr. Ozzie Smith III, D. D. S., received the office’s C.F. Stradford Award for their professional excellence and community involvement.

Justice P. Scott Neville was appointed to the Circuit Court of Cook County in 1999. In 2004, he was appointed to the Illinois Appellate Court and was subsequently elected to the Illinois Appellate Court in 2012. Justice Neville is an active member of various bar associations including the National Bar Association (life member), Cook County Bar Association (past president), and the Illinois Bar Association. In addition, he co-founded the Alliance Bar Association a group dedicated to promoting diversity, equality and fairness in judicial evaluations.

Dr. Ozzie Smith, III, co-founded the Dental Department at Christian Community Health Center (CCHC), located on the Southside of Chicago. Dr. Smith felt a strong need to establish a dental clinic, to help low income and impoverished families with much needed dental hygiene services and proactive dental care. Dr. Smith went on to open his private practice, Smith & Smith Smile Studio and he continues to champion the importance of dental hygiene in the African American community by volunteering at numerous community health fairs.

The C.F. Stradford Award is named for Cornelius Francis Stradford, a pioneer in the legal community and co-founder of the Cook County Bar Association and the National Bar Association.

The ceremony was held February 28, 2017 at the Parkway Ballroom in Chicago.