| Malika Sanders-Fortier | |
| State Senate: | Alabama |
| District: | 23rd |
| Term Start: | November 7, 2018 |
| Term End: | November 9, 2022 |
| Predecessor: | Henry Sanders |
| Successor: | Robert Stewart |
| Birth Name: | Malika Asha Sanders |
| Birth Place: | Selma, Alabama, U.S. |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Relatives: | Henry Sanders (father) Faya Ora Rose Touré (mother) |
| Education: | Spelman College (BA) Birmingham School of Law (JD) |
Malika Asha Sanders-Fortier (born 1973) is an American attorney and politician serving as a member of the Alabama Senate from the 23rd district. She assumed office on November 7, 2018. She was a Democratic candidate in the 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election.[1]
Sanders-Fortier was born in Selma, Alabama.[2] She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Spelman College and a Juris Doctor from the Birmingham School of Law.[3]
After graduating from college, Sanders-Fortier returned to Selma and worked as the executive director of 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement. She is a member of the Alabama State Bar and the Black Belt Lawyers Association.[4] Sanders-Fortier was elected to the Alabama Senate in November 2018, succeeding her father, Henry Sanders.[5] [6] [7] In January 2021, Sanders-Fortier introduced legislation to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge.[8] [9] [10]
In January 2022, Sanders-Fortier announced that she would not seek re-election, and that her father would attempt to reclaim his old seat in her place. That same month, Sanders-Fortier qualified as a Democratic candidate for governor instead. The two advanced to a runoff on June 21, 2022, with Yolanda Flowers winning the nomination.[11]