Faya Ora Rose Touré, born Rose M. Gaines, (born May 20, 1945) is an American civil rights activist and lawyer who was

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

’s first black woman judge. Henry Sanders is her husband.

Personal life

Touré was born on May 20, 1945, in

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. Located northeast of Charlotte and within its metropolita ...

to Rev. D. A. Gaines and Ora Lee Gaines. She was graduated from George Clem High School in 1962. She was graduated summa cum laude from

Johnson C. Smith University Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and accredited by the ...

in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1966 and then from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1969. Born Rose Gaines, Touré abandoned her "slave name" in 2002, and took a new name in honor of

Ahmed Sékou Touré Ahmed Sékou Touré (var. Sheku Turay or Ture; N'Ko: ; January 9, 1922 – March 26, 1984) was a Guinean political leader and African statesman who became the first president of Guinea, serving from 1958 until his death in 1984. Touré was am ...

, the

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

n dictator. She is married to Alabama State Senator Henry Sanders. Together they have three natural born children and four foster children. She is a songwriter and playwright and hosts Faya's Fire, a weekly radio show. She is the creator of the gospel song "I'm Gonna Lift My Sister Up."

Civil rights

After Harvard, Touré went to work at the National Welfare Rights Organization and the Columbia Center on Social Welfare Policy and Law. She then went to work for the Legal Services Corporation before founding the law firm of Chestnut, Sanders, Sanders, Pettaway & Campbell, LLC. She worked on a number of high profile civil rights cases during her career. Touré worked on the case of Pigford v. Veneman, the largest civil rights case in history. She won more than $1 billion in damages from the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, ...

for black farmers in the case. As an attorney, she was a founder of Chestnut, Sanders, Sanders, Law Firm, LLC. In 1982, the conducted a study of black land tenure and document land loss by African Americans for the Department of the Agriculture's Emergency Land Fund. She founded the

National Voting Rights Museum The National Voting Rights Museum and Institute, established in 1991 and opened in 1993, is an American museum in Selma, Alabama, which honors, chronicles, collects, archives, and displays the artifacts and testimony of the activists who particip ...

, the McRae Learning Center, the Ancient Africa, Slavery and Civil War Museum, the Bridge Crossing Jubilee, the 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement, and the Black Belt Arts and Cultural Center.

Judicial career

Touré became the first African-American female judge in Alabama when she was appointed as a municipal judge in 1973. She served in this position until 1977.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toure, Faya Ora Rose Harvard Law School alumni People from Selma, Alabama People from Salisbury, North Carolina Johnson C. Smith University alumni American women judges African-American judges Alabama state court judges 1945 births Living people 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women

Personal life

Civil rights

Judicial career

See also

References