Meet Greear Webb | Law Student & Actionist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Greear Webb and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Greear, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
One of my favorite quotes comes from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who said: “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” This message, shared by Dr. King just two months before his death in 1968, guides much of my approach to life. As I strive to #LeadWithLove, I’ve come to understand that by holding onto hope, even when faced with life’s trauma and tribulations, we, as people, can triumph over tragedy and engage in the work necessary to better the lives of our friends, families, and, ultimately, our communities.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
It certainly wasn’t easy getting to where I am today, but I’m grateful for the lessons I’ve learned along the way. After becoming active in politics and policy in high school, I went to college at UNC-Chapel Hill and then immediately to Emory University School of Law; so, for me, education has always been an integral part of my identity. While I am thankful my family instilled in me a deep appreciation for learning, the cycle of participating in classroom conversations, personal studying, and applying for jobs in between can be exhausting. Two ways I’ve learned to deal with this exhaustion, and the greater pressures that come with preparing to succeed professionally, are 1) rest (I know, radical right?), and 2) pursuing a permanent posture of gratitude.

Regarding rest, although it isn’t revolutionary, my pastor (the indomitable Rev. Lisa Yebuah), once offered a radical recommendation concerning rest, specifically in relation to professionalism: “Learn to work from a place of rest, instead of always resting from a place of work.” This recommendation reshaped the way I think about rest and elevated rest to a top priority in my daily life.

Regarding pursuing a permanent posture of gratitude, one practice I’ve recently implemented is taking time to reflect on the reality that the spaces in which I currently exist are places in which I dreamed and prayed to be years ago. There is such power in recognizing that either in seemingly small or genuinely great ways, you are living your wildest imaginations.

All that being said, in addition to being a second-year student at Emory Law School, I was honored to work as a Student Attorney in the Barton Juvenile Defender Clinic this past semester and will work next summer at Atlanta-area law firm Parks, Chesin, & Walbert. These opportunities reinforced my commitment to advancing justice wherever the need arises.

If there is one thing I want the world to know about me and my professional journey to this point, it is that while my life may be my story, Christ is the one owed all the glory.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
For good food in Atlanta, I’d take them to Marcus Bar & Grille (Chef Marcus Samuelsson), Paschal’s, or 5Church; for drinks, we’d head over to Verdure Kitchen & Cocktails; and to just hang out, we’d hit up Park Tavern or The James Room.

A few of my other favorite places in Atlanta include the Atlanta Botanical Garden, High Museum of Art, and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church (located right outside Atlanta in Stonecrest, Georgia).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to my family first, who has supported me at every stage of my life. I also want to dedicate this shoutout to SIDEKICKS Academy, Inc.—a youth-serving nonprofit in Durham, North Carolina that uniquely combines the martial arts with lessons about academic success, mental health, and social justice. As I often say: “Invest in youth, and watch the yield,” and investing in society’s youngest leaders is exactly what SIDEKICKS Academy does.

Website: https://sidekicksacademy.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greearwebb/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greearwebb/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/greearwebb

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sidekicksacademyinc