Angie Brooks facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Angie Brooks
Angie Brooks-Randolph, 1975
President, 24th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Preceded by	Emilio Arenales Catalán
Succeeded by	Edvard Hambro
Personal details
Born	August 24, 1928 Virginia, Liberia
Died	September 9, 2007 (aged 79) Houston, Texas, United States
Profession	Diplomat, jurist

Angie Elizabeth Brooks (born August 24, 1928 – died September 9, 2007) was an important diplomat and judge from Liberia. She made history as the only African woman to become the President of the United Nations General Assembly. She was also only the second woman from any country to lead this important global group.

In 1969, she was chosen to be the President of the General Assembly, starting her role in 1970. Later, in 1974, she became Liberia's main representative to the United Nations. Here, she worked hard to help former colonies become independent countries. She also served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Liberia. Her time as a UN representative ended in 1977. That's when she was appointed as a judge on the Supreme Court of Liberia. She was the first woman ever to serve on Liberia's highest court.

Early Life and Challenges

Angie Brooks was born on August 24, 1928. Her parents were Thomas Joseph and Theresa Ellen Brooks. She was one of ten children. Her family was not wealthy, so her parents made the difficult choice to have her live with a kind seamstress in Monrovia, Liberia.

When she was just eleven years old, Angie taught herself how to type. She earned money by copying legal papers. This helped her pay for school. She also worked as a stenotypist (someone who types what people say in court) for the Justice Department to pay for high school. At fourteen, she married Richard A. Henries. They had two sons before they divorced.

How did she get interested in law?

Angie's early jobs as a typist and court stenographer sparked her interest in law. While working in courtrooms, she noticed that some laws needed to be improved. She decided she wanted to work in law to make things better. Even though there was a lot of unfairness against women lawyers in Liberia back then, she decided to study law. In the 1940s, Liberia didn't have law schools. So, Angie learned by working with a lawyer named Clarence Simpson before taking her bar exam.

Her Journey to Study in America

Angie was determined to get more education. She applied to Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, in the United States. As a divorced mother of two, she couldn't afford the trip to America. So, she asked Liberia's President, William V. S. Tubman, for help. He was so impressed by her drive that he paid for her journey.

While in North Carolina, Angie was very upset by the unfair system of segregation. This was a time when Black people were kept separate from white people. She refused to ride the bus because of this and drove everywhere instead. Years later, in 1963, when she was a UN Delegate, Angie visited Raleigh again to give a speech. She tried to eat at restaurants, but they refused to serve her because she was Black. Even being a diplomat didn't protect her from segregation. The governor of North Carolina, Terry Sanford, later apologized to her for this incident.

Education and Learning

While at Shaw University, Angie Brooks was part of a Black sorority called Alpha Kappa Alpha. She helped pay for her studies by working many jobs. She was a dishwasher, laundress, library assistant, and nurse's aide.

In 1949, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in social science from Shaw University. She then went on to get a Bachelor of Law degree and a Master of Science degree in political science and international relations from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She also studied international law at the University College Law School in London in 1952 and 1953. In 1964, she received a Doctor of Civil Law degree from the University of Liberia. She also earned Doctor of Law degrees from Shaw University and Howard University in 1962 and 1967.

Her Amazing Career

After her studies, Angie Brooks returned to Liberia. She became a Counsellor-at-law for the Supreme Court of Liberia. From August 1953 to March 1958, she was the first woman to serve as the Assistant Attorney-General of Liberia. She also started a Department of Law at the University of Liberia. This made sure that other Liberians could get law degrees without leaving their country. From 1954 to 1958, she was also a part-time Professor of Law at the University of Liberia.

Becoming a Diplomat

Angie trained as a diplomat with the United States Foreign Service. This skill became very useful in 1954. She was asked to fill a last-minute spot in the Liberian team at the United Nations. Even though she became a delegate by chance, she served as Liberia's main representative to the United Nations every year after that. This continued until she was elected President of the UN General Assembly in 1969.

Angie knew there was a big difference between what the UN said it wanted to do and what actually happened. She made it her goal to make the United Nations better. She wanted it to solve world problems by focusing on real discussions instead of just long debates.

Helping New Nations and Women

She was especially concerned about the well-being of newly independent nations. These were countries that used to be colonies or under UN control. In her first interview after being elected as President of the UN General Assembly, Angie encouraged smaller nations to work together. She wanted them to have a stronger voice against the world's powerful countries.

She also cared deeply about the rights of women. She believed women should have more say in their country's political decisions. She thought this could help prevent wars. When a reporter asked about the role of women as representatives, she said, "If the men would give an opportunity to the women to be heard and would consider wisely some of the things that they are saying, perhaps the world would be in a better condition."

Her colleagues at the UN described Angie Brooks as "tough, strong, patient, and always good-humored."

In 1958, President William Tubman appointed Angie Brooks as Assistant Secretary of State. Angie wanted law to be a possible career for women, without unfair treatment. From 1956 to 1959, she was the vice president of the International Federation of Women Lawyers. Here, she worked to improve women's rights and encourage women in law. In 1977, she became an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia, the first woman to hold this position. She served until a change in government in 1980.

Angie Brooks was very interested in traditional African art. She collected many pieces, which later became a museum in Liberia.

Important UN Roles

Angie Brooks held many important positions at the United Nations:

• 1956: Vice-chair of a UN committee that dealt with non-self-governing territories (colonies).
• 1961: Chair of the UN committee on information from non-self-governing territories.
• 1962: Chair of the UN commission for Ruanda-Urundi. This group oversaw the split of a former Belgian colony into Rwanda and Burundi.
• 1964: Chair of a UN mission to the Pacific Islands.
• 1965: Vice president of the United Nations Trusteeship Council. This group helped territories become independent.
• 1966: President of the United Nations Trusteeship Council.
• 1969: President of the United Nations General Assembly.
• 1975: Permanent Representative of Liberia to the UN.

Her Family Life

Angie Brooks had two biological sons, Richard A. Henries II and Wynston Henries, from her first marriage. She was also a foster mother to daughters Marjorie and Eda. In total, Angie fostered at least 47 Liberian children. She did this to honor her own foster mother. Many of these children grew up on her rubber farm in Wearleah. She also adopted a daughter named Aida, who had lost her parents during the war in Rwanda. Angie was very interested in children's education and gave a lot of money to projects that helped kids learn.

After her divorce from Richard A. Henries I, she later married Isaac M Randolph.

Angie Brooks had planned to return to Liberia to live out her final years. However, she passed away on September 9, 2007, in Houston, Texas, United States. She received a special state funeral in Liberia and was buried in her birthplace of Virginia in Montserrado County.

See Also

In Spanish: Angie Brooks para niños

• First women lawyers around the world