Christiane Taubira facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christiane Taubira
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Taubira in January 2016
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| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 16 May 2012 – 27 January 2016 |
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| Prime Minister | Jean-Marc Ayrault Manuel Valls |
| Preceded by | Michel Mercier |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Jacques Urvoas |
| Regional Councillor of French Guiana | |
| In office 26 March 2010 – 31 August 2012 |
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| President | Rodolphe Alexandre |
| Member of the National Assembly for French Guiana's 1st constituency |
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| In office 2 April 1993 – 16 June 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Élie Castor |
| Succeeded by | Gabriel Serville |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 19 July 1994 – 19 July 1999 |
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| Constituency | France |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Christiane Marie Taubira
2 February 1952 Cayenne, French Guiana, France |
| Political party | Walwari |
| Other political affiliations |
Radical Party of the Left |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Jean-Marie Taubira (brother) |
| Alma mater | Panthéon-Assas University Paris-Sorbonne University |
| Signature |  |
Christiane Marie Taubira (born 2 February 1952) is a French politician. She served as the Minister of Justice of France from 2012 to 2016. She worked under Presidents Jean-Marc Ayrault and Manuel Valls.
Before that, she was a member of the National Assembly of France for French Guiana from 1993 to 2012. She was also a member of the European Parliament from 1994 to 1999. In 2022, she ran for president of France but did not get enough support to qualify for the election.
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Early Life and Education
Christiane Taubira was born on 2 February 1952 in Cayenne, French Guiana, France. She was one of 11 children and was raised by her single mother. Her brother, Jean-Marie Taubira, is also a French politician.
She studied economics at Panthéon-Assas University. She also studied ethnology (the study of cultures) and sociology (the study of society) at Paris-Sorbonne University.
Political Journey
Starting in Politics
Christiane Taubira became the President of the Walwari Party. In 1993, she was elected as a Deputy to the French National Assembly. She was re-elected in 1997.
Working in the European Parliament
In 1994, Taubira became a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). This meant she represented France in the European Parliament. She worked on committees that focused on development and culture. She also helped with relations between the European Parliament and countries in South America.
In 1997, she joined the Socialist Party. The Prime Minister at the time, Lionel Jospin, asked her to lead a group looking into gold mining in French Guiana.
National Politics and Key Laws
Taubira was a key person behind a law passed on 21 May 2001. This law officially recognized the Atlantic slave trade and slavery as a "crime against humanity." This was an important step in acknowledging history.
In 2002, she ran for president of France as a candidate for the Radical Party of the Left. She received 2.32% of the votes. After this, she became the party's vice-president. She also served as a Regional Councillor for French Guiana from 2010 to 2012.
Serving as Minister of Justice
In 2012, Christiane Taubira was appointed Minister of Justice by Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. This happened after François Hollande won the presidential election. She was one of the few Black female politicians in a major government role at that time.
As Minister of Justice, she was known for her progressive ideas. In 2013, she helped pass Law 2013-404, which made same-sex marriage in France legal. This was a major promise of President Hollande.
She resigned from her position as Minister of Justice on 27 January 2016. This was due to a disagreement with President Hollande over government policies related to how French citizens convicted of terrorism should be treated.
After the Ministry
After leaving her role as Minister of Justice, Taubira continued to be involved in politics. She supported other candidates in later elections.
In January 2022, she announced she would run for president again in the 2022 French presidential election. She won a "people's primary" vote, which aimed to choose one candidate for left-wing parties. However, she did not gather enough official endorsements from elected officials to be on the ballot for the actual election.
Political Views
Views on Immigration
Christiane Taubira has spoken about the challenges of immigration in French Guiana. She has also called for support for refugees in mainland France.
Facing Challenges
Like other female ministers in France, Christiane Taubira has faced racist and sexist insults.
In 2013, a politician shared a racist cartoon comparing Taubira to a monkey on social media. The politician was later found guilty of public insult and fined.
In November 2013, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights spoke out against racist comments made about Taubira. This included a newspaper cover that featured her photo with a disrespectful caption. The newspaper's editor was later fined for this. Taubira said these comments were "extreme violence" and denied her "belonging to the human race."
Awards and Recognition
- In 2016, she received an honorary doctorate in Laws and Human Rights from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in the United States.
- On 26 September 2016, she was given the Sash rank of the Order of the Aztec Eagle by the president of Mexico.
- She received another honorary doctorate in Law from the University of Geneva in Switzerland on 9 October 2020.
- In 2018, she was awarded a honorary doctorate from the Free University of Brussels in Belgium. This was for her work in defending diversity as France’s Minister of Justice.
Personal Life
Christiane Taubira has been married twice. She has four children with her second husband, Roland Delannon, from whom she is now divorced.
Books by Christiane Taubira
- L'Esclavage raconté à ma fille ("Slavery explained to my daughter"), 2002
- Codes noirs : de l'esclavage aux abolitions, 2006 (introduction)
- Rendez-vous avec la République ("Meeting with the Republic"), 2006
- Égalité pour les exclus : le politique face à l'histoire et à la mémoire coloniales, 2009
- Mes météores : combats politiques au long cours, 2012
- Paroles de liberté ("Words of Freedom"), 2014
- Murmures à la jeunesse, 2016
- Nous habitons la Terre, 2017
- Nuit d'épine ("Thorny Night"), 2019
- Gran Balan, 2020
See also
In Spanish: Christiane Taubira para niños
