Constance Slaughter-Harvey

Constance Slaughter-Harvey (born 1946) is a Forest, Mississippi native that became the first black female judge in the state of Mississippi.[1]

Education

Slaughter-Harvey studied at Hawkins High School where she graduated valedictorian in 1963.[2] She received her bachelor's degree in political science and economics from Tougaloo College with cum laude honors. She met civil rights activist Medgar Evers while she was in college and his assassination in 1963 influenced Slaughter-Harvey to pursue a law degree.[3] After graduation, she enrolled at the University of Mississippi School of Law where she was the first African-American female to graduate in 1970.[4]

Career

Slaughter-Harvey was picked to serve as Scott County Court Judge in 1976 in a case involving a party previously represented byJudge Guyton Idom. This appointment made her the first female black judge in the state of Mississippi.[5] She also served as a member of the Governor's Minority Advisory Committee and a Presidential Scholars Commissioner during the administration of President Jimmy Carter.[2]

References
  1. Land, Monica (April 19, 2013). "First Black Judge of Miss. to Speak at Alcorn Diversity Event". The Mississippi Link.
  2. Tucker, Judy H.; Ford, Richard (2008). Growing Up in Mississippi. Jackson: The University Press of Mississippi. p. 95. ISBN 9781934110713.
  3. Meacham, Ellen B. (2018-04-02). Delta Epiphany: Robert F. Kennedy in Mississippi. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781496817464.
  4. "Constance Slaughter-Harvey" (PDF). American Bar Association. Retrieved May 2016. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. Sewell, George Alexander; Dwight, Margaret L. (1984). Mississippi Black History Makers. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. p. 76. ISBN 9781617034282.
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