Earlier this month, Alabama Law unveiled its commissioned portrait of Sue Thompson (‘74), the first Black woman to graduate from the Law School.
Ms. Thompson grew up in West Tuscaloosa and graduated from The University of Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in political science before enrolling at Alabama Law, which had only begun to accept Black students two years prior. Between her graduation in January 1974 and Judge John England’s graduation that May, she, Judge England, and Booker Forte made plans to open their own law firm — Forte, Thompson & England was the first Black law firm in Tuscaloosa.
In 1978, Sue began working with Legal Services Alabama, mostly representing clients experiencing employment discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as in impact litigation matters on behalf of low-income and marginalized groups. She is also a passionate community advocate for equal access to quality public education, including school desegregation and teacher representation.