| Rep. Gwen S. Cherry, Esq. |
In honor of Women's History Month, we honor two of our own Gwen Saywer Cherry, Esq. and Carrie Pittman Meek. Both Cherry and Meek blazed new trails across Florida's political landscape to help level the playing field for women and fight for racial and social justice during a time when it was neither easy nor fashionable.
Cherry became the first Black woman elected to the Florida Legislature where she fought for the right of minorities and women. During her legislative career introducing several bills, including the legalization of abortions for women, proposals to create federally funded child- care centers and abolition of capital punishment. She introduced the state’s first Equal Rights Amendment bill in 1972.
She was a trailblazer in women’s and human rights serving four terms until her untimely death in an auto accident in Tallahassee in 1979.
She earned a bachelors’ degree in biology and chemistry from FAMU in 1946, and a master’s degree from New York University. She then became the first black woman to enroll in University of Miami’s School of Law, later completing her law degree at Florida A&M’s College of Law in 1965. She became the first black woman to pass the Florida Bar exam and practice law in Dade County.
On June 5, 2008, the FAMU College of Law, in Orlando, Florida, announced the dedication of the Gwendolyn Sawyer Cherry, Esquire Lecture Hall, which will be used for classrooms and practices for mock trial competitions.
| Rep. Carrie P. Meek |
Both Cherry and Meek were pioneers in Florida's fight for racial justice by changing the state's discriminatory policies and laws.
