Who Is Malik Leigh?
I am a Lawyer, Social Justice Advocate, Law Teacher, FinTech and HealthcareTech Startup CEO..in other words, I'm a "Black" Professional in America. My perspective on social justice matters is often adversarial to ALL sides.
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Black people, Indigenous Tribal Communities, and Afro-Latinos have it BAD in America. We always have. And I don't accept the conditions that people are only recently coming to terms with since the murder of George Floyd. In many ways, because we have never FORCEFULLY pushed back in a way that put emphasis on our right to be treated as human beings, my approach is to simply remove yourself from the cancer; we can't seem to remove the cancer from ourselves.
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Since becoming an attorney in 2010, I, along with my law partner and best friend, dedicated our first 8 years to the service of others. I've always been community services minded. But one thing I learned is that the professional community, I.E. fellow lawyers in South Florida are actually hostile towards those that seek this path. Oddly enough, so does the judiciary.
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But, I will always be an advocate. I have been doing it since I was 13 years old. From facing down school bullies for smaller weaker kids, to challenging unfair treatment in class.
This will never change.
I am a Single "Black Father," who has raised an amazing and beautiful young woman in a country that is racist, sexist, and religiously intolerant.
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All I do in my personal and professional life is done with her in mind. While she was growing up, I tried to instill in her the knowledge that America is NOT her friend like it isn't for so many others. I taught her that not all women share her interests, and though "you are the YOU that you make, many will still purposefully get in your way."
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Some think that this was a negative approach. However, I couldn't be more proud of the woman she has become. She is my legacy, and her success is my responsibility. The hostilities she faces now, and faces in the future, she will be prepared.
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I am a Mentor, Role Model, and Positive Representative of "black" (in america) men and men of colour for young people to see and hopefully emulate.
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I am painfully aware that in the United States, or even the greater "western" society, men of colour; or more specifically, Black Men, come in 2 varieties: Stereotypical and those that bucked the stereotypical; sadly, this is the reality.
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The truth is Black Men and Black Fathers are the most attentive human beings in this entire country, yet, the idea that black men produce mostly fatherless families or are so absentee that they alone are the problems that prevent black americans from "coming up" is a falsehood that even many black people ignorantly believe. I am one who seeks the dismantling of all forces that prevent our collective progress.
I used to be a high school law teacher, but sadly, when I empowered my students to want to be more, the community, including the Black professional community in West Palm Beach turned their backs on them. ALL OF THEM.
Now, I just do me.
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Yea, I'm an attorney, but that isn't my "life." I'm much more than that. Sadly, there are far too many people who are attorneys who think that they are important merely because they are. Not at all. It is a noble profession, but we are regular people too. We don't owe you any greater candor that you give us. And all Attorneys are representative of society as a whole. The classism, racism, and everything else.
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Trust me, no attorney (including judges, politicians, police, or anyone) inherent deserves any greater respect than they show you. NONE OF THEM.