Elicia Suzanne Bates

Elicia Suzanne Bates December 2, 1997 - June 2, 2020 Elicia was the youngest child of Leon E. and Celesta S. Bates (nee - Jones) of Indianapolis. To quote her grandmothers, "Elicia was a happy baby and very little trouble." However, she could make her displeasure known, as this was the beginnings of her outspokenness--before she learned to talk. She attended St. Joan of Arc School, where she began to learn to speak Spanish, play the saxophone; additionally, she was a member of the Volleyball and Brain Game Teams. Elicia's academic pursuits got her into the Young Scholars Program, where she participated in their Summer Institute programs in Aurora, Ill; Boston, MA; Washington D.C.; and Indianapolis. At this young age, Elicia made clear her intentions to attend a university in, or near, an urban area with a superior appreciation for the Arts. Elicia was a 2015-honors graduate of Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, where she excelled in her academic pursuits. She was a member of the National Honor Society, competed with the school's Speech Team, and continued her study of Spanish. In addition, she played the saxophone in the school's "Pride of the Irish" Marching Band, marchi...[more]

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in performances in Hawaii and Disney World in Florida, she was a member of Cathedral's Stage Productions Crew. Elicia received admissions from several universities, many with scholarship offers, but she decided to accept a full academic scholarship to Fordham University. At Fordham, Elicia found her life's passion being part of the solution of making the world a better place. She continued her study of Spanish and went on two extended summer cultural immersion trips to Guatemala. Elicia joined the Debate Team, where she learned to take the issues that she felt passionate about, and turn them into concise oral arguments, a skill she believed that she would need in the future. While at Fordham, Elicia interned with the Legal Aid Society of New York: Criminal Appeals Bureau. Elicia majored in both African & African American Studies, and Anthropology; she graduated Magna cum laude in May 2019. After graduation from Fordham, Elicia got a job as a paralegal with the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York. Elicia's work ethic and desire to learn quickly got her noticed by the U.S. Attorney and other supervisors in the office, as they gave her additional duties and responsibilities that matched her abilities. Although not a certified translator, Elicia had been called upon to assist in communicating with Spanish speakers who spoke little or no English. Elicia decided to become an attorney herself and researched law schools across the nation, deciding on the UCLA School of Law. She explained her choice saying, "that UCLA had the only program which offered Constitutional law, criminal law, and the impact of race on the law." While Elicia supported justice, she passionately wanted to fight against injustice and inequality. Perhaps no other group in the United States had a more significant impact on her thinking than the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). The EJI is a non-profit organization, headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama, that provides legal representation to those who have been wrongly convicted, without resources for an appeal, and those who did not receive a fair trial. The EJI was instrumental in convincing the United States Supreme Court to bar the imposition of life imprisonment for juvenile offenders. Elicia was that light in the darkness that the world needs. She was that one who brought joy into the room when she entered. She could not be genuinely happy when others were in despair. Elicia accomplished more in her twenty-two and a half-years, than many others do in sixty; the world is a lesser place without her spark. She was respected by all who met her and loved by all who knew her best. Elicia is survived by her parents Leon and Celesta Bates of Indianapolis, her brothers Phillip Bates, and Christopher Jones of Indianapolis. Her grandfather Leon Bates, Jr. (Joan Bates) of Long Beach, California. As well as a host of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Visitation will be Monday, June 15, 2020, from 4 to 8 pm, at Crown Hill Funeral Home, 700 West 38th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46208. A funeral mass will be held Tuesday, June 16, 2020, at St. Joan of Arc Church, 4217 N. Central Avenue, Indianapolis, with Father Guy Roberts officiating. Elicia will be laid to rest near maternal grandparents, Percy and Sarah Jones, and her paternal grandmother, Bessie Adams, at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis. Rather than flowers, Elicia's family asks that donations be made to the Equal Justice Initiative (https://eji.org/) in her memory. The family of Elicia Bates wishes to extend our deepest and most sincere heartfelt thanks to the many friends, classmates, and colleagues, both collectively and individually for the many kind thoughts, comments, gestures, and prayers during this saddest of times. Equal Justice Initiative 122 Commerce Street Montgomery, AL 36104 or donate online https://support.eji.org/give/153413/#!/donation/checkout