Margaret Burnham facts for kids

Margaret A. Burnham (born December 28, 1944) is an American lawyer and a professor at Northeastern University School of Law. She is known for her work in civil rights.

Margaret Burnham started the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project. This project helps people learn about and get justice for civil rights crimes from the past. She also helped create the Burnham-Nobles Digital Archive. This is a collection of important historical documents.

She is also a member of the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board. This board looks into old, unsolved civil rights cases.

Early Life and Education

Margaret Burnham was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1944. She went to Tougaloo College and earned a degree in history. Later, she studied law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Career Highlights

Margaret Burnham has had an amazing career helping people through law.

Early Legal Work

She worked as a lawyer for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. This group helps protect the legal rights of African Americans.

In 1970, she helped defend her friend Angela Davis in a famous court case.

Becoming a Judge

In 1977, Margaret Burnham made history. She became the first African-American female judge in Massachusetts. She served as a judge in the Boston Municipal Court until 1982.

Fighting for Justice

In 2008, she was part of a major lawsuit. This case was against Franklin County, Mississippi. It involved the kidnapping and killing of two young men, Henry Dee and Charles Eddie Moore, in 1964. This was a "cold case" from the Ku Klux Klan era.

National Recognition

On June 11, 2021, President Joe Biden chose Margaret Burnham for an important role. He nominated her to be a member of the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board. The United States Senate confirmed her nomination on February 17, 2022. This board works to make sure old civil rights cases are reviewed.

Author and Scholar

Margaret Burnham has written many articles and one important book. Her book, By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners, looks at the history of violence against Black people during the Jim Crow era. The book has received many awards and positive reviews. It was named a "Best Book of the Year" by several publications.

Family Life

Margaret Burnham comes from a family of activists and artists. Her father, Louis E. Burnham, was an activist and journalist. Her sister, Linda Burnham, is also an activist and journalist. Her brother, Charles Burnham, is a talented violinist and composer.

See also

• List of African-American jurists
• List of first women lawyers and judges in Massachusetts