Lila Fenwick Explained

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Lila Althea Fenwick (May 24, 1932 – April 4, 2020) was an American lawyer, human rights advocate, and United Nations official. She was the first black woman to graduate from Harvard Law School.[1] [2] [3]

Early life and education

Fenwick was born in Manhattan, New York City, on May 24, 1932. Her parents, John and Hilda Fenwick, were immigrants to the United States from Trinidad. She earned a bachelor's degree in history from Barnard College in 1953,[4] [5] before enrolling at Harvard Law School. A student in the class of 1956, Fenwick matriculated into the school's fourth class that admitted women. She then continued her studies at the London School of Economics.

Career

During her career, Fenwick was a private practice lawyer in the Bronx,[6] and chief of the U.N. Human Rights Section, focused on indigenous peoples, migration, gender, race, and religious discrimination issues.[7] She retired from the United Nations in 1973, before her section's headquarters moved to Geneva.[8] She also co-founded the Foundation for Research and Education in Sickle Cell Disease with Doris Wethers and Yvette Fay Francis-McBarnette.[9] [10] Harvard's Black Law Students Association offers a Ruffin-Fenwick Trailblazer Award, named for Fenwick and for George Lewis Ruffin.[11]

Personal life

Fenwick died at her home in Manhattan on April 4, 2020, from complications of COVID-19,[12] at the age of 87.

Notes and References

  1. News: Kelsey J. . Griffin . Lila Fenwick, First Black Female Graduate of Harvard Law School, Dies at 87 . . April 21, 2020 . April 24, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200424124223/https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/4/21/lila-fenwick-obituary/ . April 24, 2020 . live.
  2. Web site: 200 years of race at HLS. February 19, 2003. The Harvard Law Record. en-US. April 18, 2020.
  3. Book: Coquillette, Daniel R.. On the battlefield of merit : Harvard Law School, the first century. Kimball, Bruce A., 1951–. 978-0-674-08906-8. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 925305783.
  4. News: 1964-11-16. Women to Hear Aide With U.N.. 3. The Tribune. 2020-12-24. Newspapers.com.
  5. Web site: Lim. Solby. Fall 2020. A Groundbreaking Protector of Human Rights. 2020-12-24. Barnard College. en.
  6. News: Nichols. Vondel. 1958-09-20. Camera Reporter. 36. The New York Age. 2020-12-24. Newspapers.com.
  7. April 24, 2020. In Memoriam: Lila Althea Fenwick, 1932-2020. Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.
  8. Book: Sollors, Werner. Blacks at Harvard: A Documentary History of African-American Experience At Harvard and Radcliffe. NYU Press. 1993. 9780814739778.
  9. News: Green. Penelope. Lila Fenwick, Who Broke a Barrier at Harvard Law, Dies at 87. April 13, 2020. The New York Times. April 18, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  10. Roberts. Sam. February 10, 2019. Dr. Doris Wethers, 91, Dies; Led Fight Against Sickle Cell. The New York Times. 24N. ProQuest.
  11. Hubbard. Crystal. April 27, 1995. Harvard BLSA seeks solutions to violence. Bay State Banner. 7. ProQuest.
  12. Web site: Zaretsky. Staci. April 15, 2020. First Black Woman To Graduate From Harvard Law Dies From Coronavirus Complications. 2020-12-24. Above the Law. en-US.

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