James Forman Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Forman
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| Born |
James Robert Lumumba Forman
June 22, 1967 New York City, New York, U.S.
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| Education | Brown University (BA) Yale University (JD) |
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Notable work
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Locking Up Our Own (2017) |
| Spouse(s) |
Ify Nwokoye
(m. 2005) |
| Children | 1 |
| Scientific career | |
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James Forman Jr. (born June 22, 1967) is an American law professor. He teaches at Yale Law School. He wrote the book Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America. This book won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. James Forman Jr. also helped start the Maya Angelou School in Washington, D.C..
In 2023, he was chosen to join the American Philosophical Society. This is a group that honors smart people.
Contents
Early Life and Family
James Forman Jr. is the son of James Forman Sr. and Constancia Romilly. His parents met while working for civil rights. They were part of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). His father, James Forman Sr., helped run SNCC from 1961 to 1966. His mother, Constancia Romilly, joined SNCC in 1962. She later became a leader in SNCC's Atlanta group.
When James was seven, his parents separated. He believes that pressure on civil rights groups at the time made things hard for his family. Even after they separated, both parents were active in his life. James and his brother, Chaka, lived with their mother in New York City. They spent summers and holidays with their father.
Growing Up in Atlanta
James Forman Jr. first went to a special high school in New York. Most students there were white. His mother wanted him to grow up in a Black community. So, she moved with her sons to Atlanta, Georgia.
Forman Jr. said this move was very important for him. In Atlanta, he saw Black people in all kinds of roles. The athletes, the smart kids, the artists, and the musicians were all Black. This helped him feel free to be himself. He realized he could be a "nerdy kid" and still be Black.
He went to Roosevelt High School in Atlanta. After high school, he studied at Brown University. He earned his first degree there in 1988. Then, he went to Yale Law School and became a lawyer in 1992.
Law Career
After law school, James Forman Jr. worked for important judges. This is called being a "law clerk."
Working for Judges
In the 1990s, he worked for William Norris, a judge on a federal appeals court. The next year, he worked for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. She was a very important judge in the United States.
Forman Jr. enjoyed working with Justice O'Connor. They had different ideas about many social issues. But he told her he would always be honest. He would try to convince her of his views. But in the end, he would help her do her work. He would write the best legal opinions for her, even if they disagreed.
Becoming a Public Defender
Justice O'Connor suggested he work for the government or a civil rights group. But Forman Jr. chose a different path. He wanted to be a public defender. This meant he would represent people who could not afford a lawyer. He felt this was his way to do civil rights work.
In 1994, he became a public defender in Washington, D.C. He did this job for six years. He wrote about his experiences helping clients in his book, Locking Up Our Own.
Teaching Law
In 2003, Forman Jr. started teaching law at Georgetown University. He taught there until 2011. Then, he joined the faculty at Yale.
At Yale, he teaches about Constitutional Law. He also teaches special classes about race, class, and punishment. One of his unique classes is called "Inside Out." This class meets inside a prison. Law students and people who are incarcerated talk together about the justice system. This helps everyone learn from each other.
The Maya Angelou School
In 1997, James Forman Jr. helped start a special school. He co-founded it with David Domenici. It was part of the See Forever Foundation. This school later became the Maya Angelou Public Charter School.
A School for Troubled Teens
Forman Jr. and Domenici wanted to help young people who were struggling. They planned to give them a good education. They also wanted to offer counseling and job help. Forman Jr. saw how important this was for his public defender clients. He believed that if a program like this existed, many of his clients might not have ended up in trouble.
In 1997, Forman Jr. took time off from his public defender job. He focused on opening the Maya Angelou School. That fall, the school opened with twenty students. These students were chosen from the court system. Many had struggled in school or experienced difficult times.
Growth and Success
Even with challenges, the school was successful. By 2004, the Maya Angelou Public Charter High School had grown. It opened a second location.
In 2007, the Maya Angelou School took over the school inside Oak Hill Detention Center. This is a juvenile prison in Washington D.C. The changes made by the Maya Angelou School there were called "extraordinary." In the same year, they opened the Transition Center. This center helps young people after they leave prison. It helps them get their GEDs and job skills.
Today, the Maya Angelou School system includes several programs. They all follow "the Maya Way." This means they focus on schoolwork, emotional support, and getting ready for college or a job. The school's name was chosen by a student in an essay contest.
See also
- Mitford family, James Forman Jr.'s maternal grandmother was part of this famous family.
- List of law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States (Seat 8)
