ImeIme Umana explained

ImeIme Umana (born 1993) is an American lawyer who served as a law clerk for Robert L. Wilkins and Sonia Sotomayor. She was the 131st president—and the first black female president—of the Harvard Law Review.^{[1] [2]}

Early life and education

Umana was born in State College, Pennsylvania, to Nigerian immigrant parents originally from Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria.^{[3] [4]}

She had her high school education at Susquehanna Township High School in Harrisburg. She graduated from Harvard College in 2014, earning a BA with a joint concentration in African American studies and Government.^{[5] [6]} She earned a degree in law from Harvard and a Master of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.^{[7] [8]}

Career

While obtaining her bachelor's degree, she served as president of the Harvard Institute of Politics and worked at the university's Hiphop Archive.^[9] She interned at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, served as both the Community Action Chair of the Harvard University Institute of Politics and Professional Developmental Chair for Public Interest for the Harvard Black Law Students Association.^{[10] [11] [12]}

On January 29, 2017, she was appointed president of the Harvard Law Review by the review's 92 student editors. She was among 12 candidates, eight of whom were women and eight of whom were people of color. All candidates were made to answer questions from a forum of editors, write responses to submitted questions and participate in mock editorial activities.^{[13] [14]}

Umana served as a law clerk for Robert L. Wilkins of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 2018 to 2019. She was a law clerk for justice Sonia Sotomayor of the Supreme Court of the United States from 2020 to 2021.^[15]

Umana went on to work in the District of Columbia's Public Defender's office.^[16] In 2022, she wrote an op-ed in British Vogue about the confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first black woman and first former federal public defender to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Awards

• 2017 - African Diaspora Awards^[17]
• 2017 - Most Influential People of African Descent Award^[18]
• 2019 - Soros Justice Fellows^[19]

See also

• List of law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States (Seat 3)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Harvard Law Review elects first black woman president in its 130-year history. 2017-02-28. The Independent. 2019-11-02.
2. Web site: Meet Harvard Law Review's First Black Female President. NBC 10 Philadelphia. 16 February 2017 . 2019-11-02.
3. News: After 130 Years, Harvard Law Review Elects a Black Woman President. Seelye. Katharine Q.. 2017-02-27. The New York Times. 2019-11-02. 0362-4331.
4. Web site: Harvard Law Review elects its first black woman as president. 2017-03-13. The Birmingham Times. 2019-11-02.
5. Web site: First Black woman elected president of Harvard Law Review. The Louisiana Weekly. 2019-11-02.
6. Web site: Harvard Law Review Elects 1st Black Female President in Its 130-Year History. The Root. 9 February 2017 . 2019-11-02.
7. Web site: Soros Justice Fellowships. opensocietyfoundations.org. 2019-11-02.
8. Web site: 130-year-old Harvard Law Review elects its first African-American woman president. Alexandra. Larkin. 28 February 2017 . CNN. 2019-11-02.
9. Web site: First Black Woman Elected President of Harvard Law Review. Estrada. Sheryl. 2017-02-01. DiversityInc. 2019-11-02.
10. Web site: Nigerian-American Imeime Umana elected President of Harvard Law Review. Financial Nigeria International Limited. 2019-11-02.
11. Web site: Harvard Law Review has elected its first black female president. Kazeem. Yomi. Quartz Africa. 3 February 2017 . 2019-11-02.
12. Web site: Imelme Umana Elected as First Black Female Harvard Law Review President. The Washington Informer. 31 January 2017 . 2019-11-02.
13. Web site: Law Review Elects First Black Woman President . The Harvard Crimson. 2019-11-02.
14. Web site: Nigerian-American ImeIme Umana is first black woman in 130 years to be elected as President of Harvard Law Review, 27 years after Barack Obama held same office. 2019-09-16. TODAY NEWS AFRICA USA. 2019-11-02. 2019-11-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20191102092512/https://todaynewsafrica.com/nigerian-american-imeime-umana-is-first-black-woman-in-130-years-to-be-elected-as-president-of-harvard-law-review-27-years-after-barack-obama-held-same-office/. dead.
15. Web site: January 21, 2020 . Supreme Court Clerk Hiring Watch: The Complete Clerk Roster For October Term 2019 . March 16, 2022 . Above the Law . en-US.
16. Web site: 2022-08-19 . "Ours Is A Country Desperate For Hope": A Public Defender Reflects On The Historic Appointment Of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson . 2024-01-25 . British Vogue . en-GB.
17. Web site: Awards. Society For Africans In Diaspora. 2019-11-02.
18. Web site: Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) honorees. 25 May 2017 . CNN. 2019-11-02.
19. Web site: Open Society Foundations Announces 2019 Soros Justice Fellows. Philanthropy News Digest (PND). 2019-11-02.