Thursday, April 24, 2008

Black History Spotlight: Jane Bolin


Jane Bolin (1908-2007) enjoyed a number of firsts during her lifetime. She was the first black woman to graduate from Yale Law School, the first to join the New York City Bar Association, the first to join the city’s law department and the first black woman to serve as a judge in the United States.
Born on April 11, 1908, in Poughkeepsie, NY, Bolin was the youngest of four siblings. Her father, Gaius Charles Bolin, was the first black to graduate from Williams College and became a lawyer. Her mother, Matilda, a white Englishwoman, died when Bolin was eight. Bolin graduated from high school in Poughkeepsie and was one of two black students in her class at Wellesley College.
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