Happy birthday to LDF alum Constance Baker Motley. LDF’s first female attorney, she was the first Black woman to argue before the Supreme Court and went on to win nine out of ten cases. Motley was the first Black woman to serve in the NY State Senate and Manhattan's first woman Borough President. Serving the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, she was also the first Black woman to sit as a federal judge. Today we celebrate her and her lasting legacy as a breaker of boundar

21 reactions | LDF alum Constance Baker Motley was elected Manhattan Borough President on this day in 1965, becoming the first Black woman and person in the role. In celebrating and reflecting on her life, it is clear how powerfully Motley and her boundary-breaking work live on. | The Legal Defense Fund | Facebook

On August 30, 1966, Constance Baker Motley became the first Black woman to serve as a federal judge when the Senate confirmed her appointment to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Motley had broken ground two decades prior as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund's first female lawyer, where she played a crucial role in shaping the legal fight against segregation, and two years prior as the first Black woman to serve in the New York State Senate. | American Experience | PBS

30 reactions | In LDF's recent event, Tomiko Brown-Nagin, Harvard Law and history professor, shared: “Constance Baker Motley was the one who reminds you of your worth and your values…to keep your composure and above all else—strive for excellence.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smzFzS0XPqY | The Legal Defense Fund | Facebook

6.4K views · 140 reactions | Who was Constance Baker Motley, the “Civil Rights Queen”? Learn more about the strategists behind the fight against school segregation in FORGOTTEN HERO: WALTER WHITE AND THE NAACP, premiering February 25 at 9/8c on @PBS → https://to.pbs.org/3Cr2svG #ForgottenHeroPBS | American Experience | PBS | Facebook