Tairih King, a nine-year-old diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, was sworn in as “Co-Commissioner for the Day” for the Massachusetts Probation Service. The ceremony, held before his family and probation employees in the Office of Probation Commissioner Pamerson Ifill, kicked off National Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision Week, which runs from Monday, July 22 to Friday, July 27.
King has endured several challenging rounds of treatment at Dana-Farber’s Jimmy Fund Clinic. His strength and spirit were celebrated during this special event.
“We were elated to have Tairih, his brother, and parents join us for this ceremonial swearing in, and he did such an amazing job. Tairih is a wonderful young man, and we were happy to launch our first event recognizing him and having him serve as my co-Commissioner,” said Commissioner Pamerson Ifill.
The theme of this year’s Probation Supervision Week, set by the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA), is “Wellness Unveiled: Navigating the Journey.” Massachusetts, which established the first probation service in the nation in 1878, celebrates National Probation Supervision Month.
During the swearing-in ceremony, Tairih assisted Commissioner Ifill in signing key probation policy. The victim policy supports victims, survivors, and their families, considering the crime and circumstances that continue to impact them. Commissioner Ifill and his executive team presented Tairih with a probation t-shirt and paraphernalia. Tairih, his parents, Kyanna and Shawn King, and his family were treated to lunch.
Tairih attends Cabot Elementary in Newton as part of the METCO Program. The nine-year-old is also a member of Tony Richard’s “No Books, No Ball” basketball team, where he is affectionately referred to as “Swaggi T.”
The idea for the swearing-in came about after Commissioner Ifill first heard Tairih’s story on the Java with Jimmy Show, hosted by James Hills. Moved by Tairih’s resilience, Commissioner Ifill extended an invitation to Tairih to serve as “Co-Commissioner for the Day. Tairih, his family, and Hills attended the ceremony, which was followed by the signing of the probation policy on protecting the rights of victims and survivors of crime.
The ceremony marked the beginning of National Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision Week, an observance by the APPA, which includes 90,000 community corrections professionals, including probation officers. The Massachusetts Probation Service, with a staff of 1,850 probation officers, was the first probation service in the nation. Commissioner Ifill is the first Black commissioner in the Massachusetts Probation Service’s 146-year history.
