Nkechi Taifa

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Nkechi Taifa
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Born (1954-12-29) December 29, 1954 (age 69)
Washington, D.C.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materHoward University
Occupation
  • Activist
  • Attorney
  • Organizer
  • Scholar
  • Author

Nkechi Taifa (pronounced Neh-KEE-Chee Tah-EE-fah) is an American activist, attorney, organizer, scholar, and author. Since the 1970s, Taifa has worked on social justice issues including indigent criminal defense, racial sentencing disparities, policing, prisoners’ rights and reentry, death penalty reform, clemency, voting rights, and statehood for Washington, D.C. During her career, Taifa has represented such notable activists as Laura Whitehorn[1] and Mutulu Shakur (stepfather of Tupac Shakur).[2]

Taifa is perhaps best known for being one of the founders of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N'COBRA)[3][4] and one of the nation’s leading experts on and advocates for African American reparations. Taifa has testified about reparations and other racial injustices before state, national, and international bodies.

Currently, Taifa leads The Taifa Group, heads the Reparation Education Project, and serves as a Senior Fellow at Columbia University’s Center for Justice.[5] Stories about Taifa’s life and work have appeared in national publications such as People[6] and Essence. Essence named her as one of its Unsung Black Women Making Strides in the Law in 2018 and one of its 100 Woke Black Women Advocating for Change in 2019.[7][8]

Early Life[9]

Nkechi Taifa was born in Washington, DC on December 29, 1954. As a child, Taifa witnessed racial segregation and many other injustices.[3]

Taifa attended an elite all-girls high school in Washington. Though the school’s student body was predominantly white, Taifa became president of its Black Student Union. Outside of school, she sold newspapers for the Black Panther Party, attended the BPP’s political education classes, organized a Saturday School for youth, and coordinated Kwanzaa programs in the community.[3][10]

College Years and Early Work[11][4]

In 1973, Taifa enrolled at Howard University where she majored in history. While on campus, Taifa worked with the Southern African Support Committee, the Youth Organization for Black Unity, the February 1st Movement, the Wilmington Ten Defense Committee, and the Black Women’s United Front.

In this period, Taifa joined the Republic of New Afrika (RNA).[4] In 1975, she organized the group’s first triennial National Black Elections for its Provisional Government (PGRNA). After Taifa wrote to Imari Obadele, President of the New Afrikan Nation in North America, Obadele responded by asking Taifa to chair the National Committee to Free the RNA-11.[4] She agreed and contacted various luminaries and others to agitate for the group’s release. (Eventually, all were freed.)

After graduating from Howard magna cum laude, Taifa worked at the Nation House Watoto School and the Washington Office on Africa.[4] Eventually, she enrolled in and graduated from the George Washington University School of Law.

Legal Career

Beginnings

After graduating law school, Taifa served as the RNA’s Minister of Justice. [2] [12] In that role, she provided legal representation to activists such as Mutulu Shakur (stepfather of Tupac Shakur)[2]

Eventually, the ACLU Foundation hired Taifa as a staff attorney for its National Prison Project. One of her accomplishments in this period was successfully arguing a case to protect the rights of incarcerated persons.[13]

After leaving the ACLU to start her own law practice, Taifa worked on several notable cases. She defended Laura Whitehorn in the “Resistance Conspiracy Case” [14] and served as co-counsel on Shepherd v. ABC News, 62 F.3rd 1469 (D.D.C. 1994), a major employment discrimination case.[15]

In 1991, Taifa joined the Women’s Legal Defense Fund as Public Policy Counsel.[9] A few years later, she returned to the ACLU to serve as Legislative Counsel. In these years, Taifa testified before the United States Congress, the U.S. Sentencing Commission, and other bodies on topics including the crack-versus-powder cocaine sentencing disparity,[16] [17] policing,[18] and D.C. statehood.[19] She also worked to support political prisoners such as Sundiata Acoli.[20]

Into Academia

In 1995, Taifa began working at the Howard University School of Law.[9] She became the founding director of the School’s Equal Justice Program, an initiative that allows Howard Law students to work with public interest organizations.[9] At Howard, Taifa taught courses on racism in the criminal justice system.[9] Her scholarly works on topics such as the crack/powder cocaine disparity[21] and the unfairness of the “three strikes” sentencing policy[22] were published during this time. Taifa also testified before the Council of the District of Columbia about policing in this era.[23][24]

Current Projects

In 2018, Taifa founded The Taifa Group, LLC. The Taifa Group is a social enterprise firm that helps organizations employ “justice and equity perspectives that strengthen [the] bottom line.”[25] The Taifa Group assists them with coalition-building, government relations, trainings, and much more.

Also in 2018, the Columbia University Center for Justice named Taifa a Senior Fellow.[5]

Reparations

Taifa has been active in the movement for African American reparations since the 1970s.

Taifa learned about the history of and need for reparations as a teen.[3] The desire to work toward reparations later motivated her to join the RNA, a group dedicated to securing land and reparations for the descendants of enslaved African persons.[3]

A conference on the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution was held in September 1987.[26] Prior to the meeting, Obadele had invited various organizations and individuals to discuss the idea of creating a campaign for reparations. Those who responded to the call included Taifa, Chokwe Lumumba, Adjoa Aiyetoro, and many others.[26] They began discussing what an organization dedicated to reparations would look like. That meeting led to the formation of N’COBRA - the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America.

As one of N’COBRA’s founding members, Taifa took on heavy responsibilities. Due to her legal training and acumen, Taifa joined N’COBRA’s Legal Strategies Commission and Reparations Litigation Committee.[3] She later chaired its Legislative Commission.[3]

Though N’COBRA generally received little support from mainstream civil rights organizations, Taifa and the group scored major victories. In January 1989 - less than two years after N’COBRA’s founding - Rep. John Conyers (D-Detroit, MI) introduced H.R. 40. [27] The bill was the first to propose studying reparations for the descendants of enslaved Africans.

Over the years, Taifa continued to push the reparations conversation forward. As cities and states began to seriously consider reparations, Taifa provided testimony in support.[28][29] In 2014, she acted as a consultant for Ta-Nehisi Coates’ seminal 2014 article, “The Case for Reparations.”[29] In 2016, she became one of the inaugural commissioners of the National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC). In 2022, she provided testimony to the California State Task Force on Reparations.[30][30] She also aided the GU-272 Alliance, a group descended from enslaved persons that Georgetown University sold further south to prevent the school from going bankrupt.[31] Taifa also helped the Movement for Black Lives create its M4BL Reparations Tool Kit.

In addition to her domestic efforts, Taifa has testified about reparations before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights [32] and the Helsinki Commission.[33] She has worked closely with CARICOM representatives and works to ensure that reparations are included in any international discussions about people of African descent.[34]

Nkechi Taifa is the Founder and Director of the Reparation Education Project (REP),[35] a 501(C)3 non-profit organization. REP provides resources (presentations, trainings, etc.) to non-profit organizations, federal, state, and municipal government, educational institutions, religious organizations, businesses, celebrity influencers, philanthropic groups, and others.

Taifa continues to speak and write extensively about reparations and to encourage local, state, and federal governments to pass reparations laws. In April 2022, Taifa gave her first Ted-X talk, “Reparations: An Issue Whose Time Has Come.”[36] Her latest book, “Reparations on Fire: How and Why It’s Spreading Across America” was published in December 2022.[37]

Personal Life

A lifelong Washingtonian, Taifa is the proud mother of an adult daughter. In 2021, she published a memoir about her life and activism entitled, “Black Power, Black Lawyer: My Audacious Quest for Justice.”[38]

References

  1. ↑ "Ex-Baltimorean sentenced in bombings". Baltimore Sun. 1990-12-07. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "United States v. Buck, 690 F. Supp. 1291 (S.D.N.Y. 1988)". Justia Law. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 A. Aiyetoro & A.D. Davis. "Historic and Modern Social Movements for Reparations: The National Coalition for Reparations in America (N'COBRA) and its Antecedents". Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies Research: 63.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Onaci, E.E. "SELF-DETERMINATION MEANS DETERMINING SELF: LIFESTYLE POLITICS AND THE REPUBLIC OF NEW AFRIKA, 1968-1989" (PDF). Dissertation: 61, 177, 183–84.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Nkechi Taifa – Abolition 13/13". blogs.law.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  6. ↑ "How One Black Lawyer Went from Doubting Herself to 'Planting Seeds' for Future Generations". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  7. ↑ "The Taifa Group | PHOTO GALLERY". The Taifa Group. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  8. ↑ "The 2019 Woke 100". Essence. 2020-11-03. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 "BIO". BlackPowerLawyer. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  10. ↑ Dunlap, Broderick (2022). Reparations is a Battle Cry: The Radical Roots of the Reparations Movement in the United States (PDF). Thesis. pp. 41–45.
  11. ↑ "THE ACTIVIST". Nkechi Taifa. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  12. ↑ newafrikan77 (2014-08-18). "Provisional Government of The Republic of New Afrika". newafrikan77. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  13. ↑ "Knop v. Johnson, 655 F. Supp. 871 (W.D. Mich. 1987)". Justia Law. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  14. ↑ "United States v. Whitehorn, 710 F. Supp. 803 (D.D.C. 1989)". Justia Law. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  15. ↑ "Shepherd v. American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., 862 F. Supp. 486 (D.D.C. 1994)". Justia Law. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  16. ↑ "1994 Testimony before USSC" (PDF).
  17. ↑ "1995 Testimony" (PDF).
  18. ↑ Testimony before the House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and Criminal Justice, testimony in opposition to "The Use of the National Guard in Civil Law Enforcement Activities." (Oct. 5, 1994)
  19. ↑ Testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, "Statehood for the District of Columbia." (Aug. 1, 1994)
  20. ↑ "The Taifa Group | EXPERTISE". The Taifa Group. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  21. ↑ "[CITATION ONLY] N, Taifa, Cracked Justice: A Critical Examination of Cocaine Sentencing, 27 U. West L.A. L. Rev. 107 (1996) (via Google Scholar) ". Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  22. ↑ Taifa, N. "Three-Strikes-and-You're-Out - Mandatory Life Imprisonment for Third Time Felons". University of Dayton Law Review.
  23. ↑ Testimony before the Committee on the Judiciary, Council of the District of Columbia, "The Use of Firearms and Excessive Use of Force by Metropolitan Police Officers." (Jan. 20, 1999)
  24. ↑ Testimony before the Council of the District of Columbia, "MPD's Camera Surveillance System,"on behalf of the ACLU-NCA (June 13, 2002)
  25. ↑ "ABOUT | Washington, DC". The Taifa Group. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "About N'COBRA". N'COBRA. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  27. ↑ H.R.3745 - Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act, https://www.congress.gov/bill/101st-congress/house-bill/3745
  28. ↑ N.Taifa testimony before the Maryland Senate Judiciary Proceedings Committee in support of Senate Joint Resolution 4 - “Reparations for the Enslavement of African Americans (March 17, 2004, available online at )https://ncobra.org/resources/pdf/Reparations.Marylandtestimony.pdf
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 N. Taifa Testimony before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties re: H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals (Feb.17, 2021), https://www.congress.gov/117/meeting/house/111198/documents/HHRG-117-JU10-20210217-SD021.pdf
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Video of N. Taifa testimony before California Reparations Task Force (February 23, 2022)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iksGth9pwd8
  31. ↑ Episode 14 - "UN Forum on People of African Descent: Black Women Advancing Reparations in Geneva", retrieved 2023-06-13
  32. ↑ "Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Convenes Historic Hearing - ProQuest". www.proquest.com. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  33. ↑ N. Taifa Testimony before U.S. Helsinki Commission, HUMAN RIGHTS AT HOME: IMPLICATIONS FOR U.S GLOBAL LEADERSHIP (JULY 2, 2020). https://www.csce.gov/sites/helsinkicommission.house.gov/files/0702%20Taifa%20Testimony%20before%20Helsinki%20Commission.pdf
  34. ↑ Rojas, Don (2018-02-09). "Reparations Now: The Black American Claim". Caribbean Reparations Commission. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  35. ↑ "Meet Our Team | Reparation Education Project". REP. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  36. ↑ Taifa, Nkechi (2022-05-24), REPARATIONS: An Issue Whose Time Has Come, retrieved 2023-06-13
  37. ↑ Taifa, Nkechi (2022-12-25). Reparations On Fire: How and Why It's Spreading Across America. House of Songhay II. ISBN 978-1-7379825-1-7.
  38. ↑ Taifa, Nkechi (2020-09-22). Black Power, Black Lawyer: My Audacious Quest for Justice. House of Songhay II. ISBN 978-1-7347693-1-9.

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