Honoring Sully Jaymes
By: Becky W, WIN Member
This past June 8th, a celebration was held at a new pocket park named for and dedicated to the memory of Springfield’s first Black-activist lawyers, Sully Jaymes. A marker was erected detailing his remarkable and ground-breaking contributions to our city over a century ago. The park is located at 1615 Woodward Avenue.
The Conscious Connect spearheaded this project. This local nonprofit organization focuses on education, health and culture in our community. They received support from the Springfield Foundation, the Turner Foundation and Ohio History Connection.
Sully Jaymes is certainly worthy of this honor. His life was fascinating and inspirational. Please read more about him at Sully Jaymes, Springfield's first Black lawyer, gets Ohio Historical Marker (springfieldnewssun.com) or ‘That dream has become a reality,’ researcher says about Springfield historical marker
Ohio Historical Marker reads as follows
Sully Jaymes was an African American lawyer and tireless activist for equal rights in Springfield during the first half of the twentieth century. Born on March 30 sometime between 1875-1880, he graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1901. By 1903, he opened a Black-owned law practice at 17-1/2 Main Street in Springfield. Working primarily with the city’s Black residents, Jaymes offered his services free of charge if clients were unable to pay.
He was a long-time member of North Street A.M.E. Church. Jaymes served on the first Board of Directors of the Center Street YMCA (a safe haven for young Black people), on the Board of Trustees at Wilberforce University, and as a Grand Chancellor of Ohio for the Grand Lodge, Knights of Pythias. During his distinguished legal career in Springfield, Jaymes held briefs in cases such as that of Richard Dixon, the lynching victim of Springfield’s 1904 race riot, and that of several African Americans indicted in the 1906 and 1921 race riots.
He played a prominent role during tense community discussions around school segregation at Fulton Elementary School. Jaymes helped lead the unsuccessful effort to stop the 1921 screening of Birth of a Nation at Springfield’s Memorial Hall. When Grace Bayless, a white woman accused of first-degree murder and facing the death penalty, requested Jaymes be appointed her defense attorney, the judge making the appointment in 1937 stated, “The Court considers this request as a tribute to your ability and influence before our courts and juries.” Sully Jaymes died on 20 January 1950.
