Nkechi Taifa
Nkechi Taifa is a civil and human rights attorney and author. She is president of The Taifa Group, director of the Reparation Education Project, and serves on the governing board of the Correctional Information Council. She is also Senior Fellow for the Center of Justice at Columbia University and a TruthSpeaks Harvard Kennedy School scholar. A visionary thought leader and nationally recognized expert and commentator on race and justice issues, Taifa has served as Commissioner and Chair of the D.C. Commission on Human Rights and has worked for the Open Society Foundations, Howard University School of Law, the ACLU, Women’s Legal Defense Fund, National Prison Project, and as an attorney in private practice. Throughout her career she has focused on issues involving justice, including sentencing, policing, prisons, voting, reentry, clemency, and racial justice.
Nkechi Taifa has testified before the U.S. Congress and other national and international bodies, has written five books including a memoir, and scores of scholarly works, including law review articles, book chapters and white papers. She is an acclaimed speaker on the TEDx platform, has been featured in major print and electronic media, and has received numerous honors and awards for her work, including Essence Magazine’s WOKE 100 Black Women Advocating for Change.