Join us for a talk about the first Black woman to argue a case before the Supreme Court, and the first to serve as a federal judge. Constance Baker Motley was born in 1921 in New Haven. She graduated from Columbia Law School in 1946, and became an unsung civil rights hero. A prominent force for women’s equality and civil rights, the fierce attorney wrote the original complaint in the Brown v. Board of Education case. Her list of firsts continued well into her career; she was also the first Black woman to hold the position of state senator for New York. 

Our speaker, Constance L. Royster, is Ms. Motley’s niece, and principal of Laurel Associates LLC. She is a recognized fundraising, education, non-profit, and organizational leader. Born and raised in New Haven, Ms. Royster is a Fellow of Jonathan Edwards College at Yale. She received her juris doctor from Rutgers University Law School and graduated with a B.A. cum laude from Yale University.