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Constance Baker Motley Constance Baker Motley Constance Baker Motley is a lawyer and jurist that has received numerous awards and honorary degrees recognizing her contributions to civil rights and the legal profession. Her being denied access to a "public" beach and skating rink served as a catalyst for her joining the NAACP. She graduated from New York University in 1943 and earned a law degree from Columbia University. She won nine civil rights victories in cases she argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, including James H. Meredith's right to be admitted to the University of Mississippi in 1962. From 1964 to 1965, Motley served a full term in the New York State Senate. In 1965, she became the first woman to serve as a city council president. In 1966 Motley became the first black woman to be appointed to a federal judgeship. Motley's position as U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York made her the highest-paid black woman in government. She was made chief judge in 1982 and senior judge four years later. Motley was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1993.
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Marjorie Stewart Joyner Inventor, Businesswoman and Humanitarian 1896-1994 Marjorie S. Joyner was associated with the most Famous Madam C.J. Walker. She studied cosmetology when she was a teenager. Ms. Joyner became an inventor and an educator in African American Beauty. Joyner became frustrated at the way black women hair did not hold curls and decided to invent a permanent wave machine that would allow a black woman's' hair to stay up for days. This permanent wave machine was shaped like a dome with one-inch clamps that were electrical. This machine worked and black women hairstyles lasted a long time. Ms. Joyner never received any money for her invention, but her courage and ingenious idea open the door for many to follow. The business of making black women beautiful has a booming market. Ms. Joyner became the Director of Madam C.J. Walker's beauty school nationwide. Along with Mary Bethune McLeod, she co-founded the United Beauty School Owners and Teachers Association in 1945. Ms. Joyner was instrumental in helping create pride in young blacks during the depression.			Bernice B. Donald Bernice B. Donald was selected for her appointment as a Judge by President Bill Clinton on December 22, 1995. She represents the Western District of Tennessee. She graduated from the Humphrey's School of law at the University of Memphis in 1979. Judge Donald has a website for her court, and there is a website of her biography. You will find both those links on our links page.
			Ann Claire Williams The honorable Ann Claire Williams graduated from Notre Dame University Law School in 1975. At the age of thirty-five, Judge Williams became one of the youngest people ever appointed to an Article III federal judgeship. At that time, she was the first African-American woman appointed to the district court in Illinois and in the Seventh Circuit, and only the ninth African American woman ever appointed to an Article III judgeship. In August 1999, President Clinton nominated her for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. She became the first African-American ever appointed to the Circuit and the third African-American woman to serve on any federal appeals court.