She was the founder and first president of the Black Business and Professional Women’s Club, and she served as the president of the National Council for Negro Women. Throughout her life, Whaley was highly active in organizations dedicated to the advancement of African Americans. In 1949, she wrote an essay titled “Women Lawyers Must Balk Both Color and Sex Bias,” in which she described the “penalty” of women-and particularly minority women-lawyers who must outperform their male colleagues lest “the overlooked errors of a male colleague become the colossal blunders of the woman.” In the essay, Whaley also expressed concern about the continued lack of black female lawyers in the country, noting that in 1920 there were only four, while in 1949, there were fewer than 150, with fewer than 100 of these actively practicing law.įrom 1951 to 1973, Whaley served as secretary of the New York City Board of Estimate, assisting in numerous areas of municipal policy, including city budget, land-use, contracts, franchises, and water rates. In 1945, Whaley ran for a New York City Council seat as one of the first black women ever nominated by a major political party in the United States. She maintained her practice in New York until 1944 when she began to get involved in Democratic Party politics. She was particularly recognized for her outstanding representation of black local government employees, including in one instance her husband. Widely regarded as an expert in civil service law, she won several landmark cases in this area, and often argued before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Thanks in part to Du Bois, Whaley’s story was made public in the July 1924 issue of The Crisis, the official publication of the NAACP.ĭespite this shameful institutional incident, Whaley called her time at Fordham Law “for the most part pleasantly and profitably spent,” praising the School for its “magnanimous spirit and lack of caste.” She graduated cum laude in 1924.Īfter earning her Fordham Law degree, Whaley went on to a distinguished career in private practice. It turns out the prize was withdrawn at the last minute when the donor learned of Whaley’s race. However, she was denied the prize for reasons that were never made clear to her, and she was stonewalled by administrators when she attempted to find out why. Whaley had won a writing contest due to an excellent series of her papers, and she was entitled to receive the reward of a free set of books. Du Bois regarding an instance of discrimination that she had experienced during her 3L year. While at Fordham Law, Whaley corresponded with famed sociologist, historian, and civil rights activist W.E.B. With her husband’s encouragement, Whaley made the decision to attend Fordham Law School, which had voted to admit women students only a few years before her enrollment. An outstanding student, Whaley attended Livingstone Prep School and Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina, going on to work as a teacher at the North Carolina State School for the Deaf in Raleigh after she graduated college in June 1919. Whaley was born on February 2, 1901, in Goldsboro, North Carolina, to two schoolteachers, Charles and Dora Whitehead. In 1925, she became the first black woman to practice law in New York state, and in 1933, she was the first black woman to practice law in her home state of North Carolina. The first black woman to enroll at Fordham Law, Whaley graduated at the top of her class in 1924. Ruth Whitehead Whaley’s life is a compelling story of firsts. Program on Corporate Ethics and Complianceįirst black woman to enroll at and graduate from Fordham Law Schoolįirst black woman to practice law in New York stateįounder and first president of the Black Business and Professional Women’s Clubįirst black woman to pass the North Carolina bar exam
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