Lila Fenwick
Lila Althea Fenwick was an American lawyer, human rights advocate, and United Nations official. She was the first black woman to graduate from Harvard Law School.
Fenwick was born in Manhattan, New York City, on May 24, 1932. Her parents, John and Hilda Fenwick, had immigrated to the United States from Trinidad. She received her bachelor's degree from Barnard College in 1953 before enrolling at Harvard Law School.
A student in the class of 1956, Fenwick matriculated into the school's fourth class that admitted women. She then completed her studies at the London School of Economics.
During her career, Fenwick was a private practice lawyer and later became chief of the U.N. Human Rights Section. She held the position until her retirement. She also co-founded the Foundation for Research and Education in Sickle Cell Disease with Doris Wethers and Yvette Fay Francis-McBarnette.
Fenwick died at her home in Manhattan on April 4, 2020, from complications of COVID-19 at the age of 87.
