August 14th 2023.
Cayden Brown is an example of an ambitious and driven individual. At only 16 years old, not only is he a criminal defense attorney, he has also launched his own organization, The Trespass Project. In a recent interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE, the Michigan native opened up about his journey into becoming an attorney and what’s next for his career.
Brown has always been passionate about social justice, which is why his venture into law makes sense. “It was a calling from God. I knew by that feeling I got when I was ten while walking out of the theater after watching The Hate U Give”, he said. “I knew by that feeling I got every time I was profiled in a store and mistaken for a grown man. I knew by the way my blood would boil every time I saw another Black man, who looked just like me, being brutalized at the hands of our law enforcement. At the time, it was unclear how I was going to speak up or even why I felt the need to. I’m still learning, but through maturing, I’ve come to discover a lot about myself and my purpose.”
Brown has held several leadership positions at school, including serving on the school’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion committee, the Student Safety committee, and the student council. His start in criminal defense was through Oakland County Teen Court, a program “aimed at keeping juveniles out of the court system, designed around the philosophy that a jury of one’s peers is more influential in dealing with behavioral problems than any other method”, according to Detroit Metro Times. “Teen Court uses teen attorneys and jurors who have learned about the court system to analyze cases.”
He recalls being asked to step in as a defense attorney when the original attorney had backed out. “I had heard rumors of the Teen Court program, but I truthfully dismissed it because I didn’t have the expectation that I’d be able to participate in the way I did. But it was all in God’s plan because a month or so after hearing about the program, I ran into my school’s program chapter organizer. He pushed for me and got me in. I was able to win, and that opened so many doors to new cases and carried a win streak throughout all of them”, he said.
Brown believes that law is a vessel to arrive at his ultimate objective, which is to ensure justice for underrepresented communities. This is what ultimately prompted him to launch the Trespass Project—a platform that allows young people to discuss the challenges they face in a world that moves in Black and white.
“I wanted them to be able to read these intimate conversations between people of color and say, ‘Yes! This is how I feel.’ I wanted them to feel seen. But I also wanted people who came to walk away feeling empowered to make a change”, he said.
Brown credits many people for his achievements. He specifically mentioned his parents and his extended family for their support. He also offered a personal shout-out to two special individuals who took a chance on him: Rita Soka and Alexandria Taylor of Taylor-Soka Law.
He’s learned a lot from his work as an entrepreneur. “Most times, when you identify an imbalance in anything you live through, you are most likely not the only person who notices that and wants it to be addressed”, he said.
As for what’s next for the advocate, he isn’t sure. But he’s not concerned. “My next step is to pause and listen. I think that for the past few months, I’ve been doing so much talking—and it’s paid off—but right now, I’m in a phase of listening while I wait for God to give me my next assignment”, he said.
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