photo by steed media service

As an immigration judge for the U.S. Department of Justice, Clarease Rankin Yates has fought more than her share of tough battles. But one of the toughest is the battle to raise awareness of and funding for sickle cell disease. Judge Yates was inspired to take up the fight after witnessing the courage of a close friend afflicted with the disease. “My good friend, Attorney Judith Jones, passed away [in] May of last year,” shares Yates somberly. “She had sickle cell for a long time and did a lot in the community.”

Yates wanted to help make the community better understand the illness, and has taken an active role with the Sickle Cell Association of Gulf Coast Texas to help lead the charge. “We’re in a position where people respect what [we] say and do, and very often, they will take their lead from what you’re doing,” she notes. “[Sickle cell] has been ignored quite a bit, [we must] do something to focus the attention on it and bring everybody into the fray for a cure. We need to have everyone focused on the disease — not just minorities.”

All of that hard work has led to inroads being made in research and treatment, and for Judge Yates, that’s the most important reward she could receive. Her ideal reward would be to one day see her mission accomplished and the crusade over. But she appreciates every single victory along the way. “The thing that’s been the most wonderful is that the Texas Children’s Hospital now has a research center — they didn’t have that before our event,” says Yates. “There’s been a lot of advancement in the area, and it’s exciting.” -todd williams

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