Submission declined on 30 October 2023 by Spinster300 ( talk). This submission is not adequately supported by reliable sources. Reliable sources are required so that information can be verified. If you need help with referencing, please see Referencing for beginners and Citing sources. If you would like to continue working on the submission, click on the "Edit" tab at the top of the window. If you have not resolved the issues listed above, your draft will be declined again and potentially deleted. If you need extra help, please ask us a question at the AfC Help Desk or get live help from experienced editors. Please do not remove reviewer comments or this notice until the submission is accepted. Where to get help If you need help editing or submitting your draft, please ask us a question at the AfC Help Desk or get live help from experienced editors. These venues are only for help with editing and the submission process, not to get reviews. If you need feedback on your draft, or if the review is taking a lot of time, you can try asking for help on the talk page of a relevant WikiProject. Some WikiProjects are more active than others so a speedy reply is not guaranteed. How to improve a draft Wikipedia:Contributing to Wikipedia – a basic overview on how to edit Wikipedia. Help:Wikitext – how to use the markup Help:Referencing for beginners – how to include references Wikipedia:Article development – how to develop your article Wikipedia:Writing better articles – how to improve your article Wikipedia:Verifiability – make sure your article includes reliable third-party sources You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Add tags to your draft Editor resources Find sources:  Google ( books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL Easy tools: Citation bot ( help) | Advanced: Fix bare URLs Declined by Spinster300 9 months ago. Last edited by Extraordinary Writ 3 seconds ago. Reviewer: Inform author. Resubmit Please note that if the issues are not fixed, the draft will be declined again.

Submission declined on 28 June 2023 by Asilvering ( talk). This submission is not adequately supported by reliable sources. Reliable sources are required so that information can be verified. If you need help with referencing, please see Referencing for beginners and Citing sources. Declined by Asilvering 13 months ago.

• Comment: The issues previously stated have not been fixed. Kind regards, Spinster300 ( talk) 11:08, 30 October 2023 (UTC).

• Comment: Ok, she looks very likely to be notable, but what are the independent, secondary sources writing about her? Almost all of this article is sourced to transcripts of court cases. What news coverage is there about her? Do her books have reviews? (Professional/academic ones, not goodreads/amazon etc.) Please have a look at WP:PRIMARY and WP:ELNO. asilvering ( talk) 09:43, 28 June 2023 (UTC)

This article is an autobiography or has been extensively edited by the subject or by someone connected to the subject. It may need editing to conform to Wikipedia's neutral point of view policy. There may be relevant discussion on the talk page. (June 2023) ( Learn how and when to remove this message)

Nkechi Taifa 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] [3]}

Taifa is perhaps best known for being one of the founders of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N'COBRA) ^{[4] [5] [6]} 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. ^[7] Stories about Taifa’s life and work have appeared in national publications such as People ^[8] 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. ^{[9] [10]}

Nkechi Taifa was born in Washington, DC on December 29, 1954. As a child, Taifa witnessed racial segregation and many other injustices. ^{[4] [12]}

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. ^{[4] [13] [14]}

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. ^{[16] [17]}

In this period, Taifa joined the Republic of New Afrika (RNA). ^[5] 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. ^[5] 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. ^[5] Eventually, she enrolled in and graduated from the George Washington University School of Law.

After graduating law school, Taifa served as the RNA’s Minister of Justice. ^{[2] [18]} 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. ^[19]

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” ^{[20]  [1]} and served as co-counsel on Shepherd v. ABC News, 62 F.3rd 1469 (D.D.C. 1994), a major employment discrimination case. ^[21]

In 1991, Taifa joined the Women’s Legal Defense Fund as Public Policy Counsel. ^[11] 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, ^{[22] [23]} policing, ^[24] and D.C. statehood. ^[25] She also worked to support political prisoners such as Sundiata Acoli. ^[26]

In 1995, Taifa began working at the Howard University School of Law. ^[11] 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. ^[11] At Howard, Taifa taught courses on racism in the criminal justice system. ^[11] Her scholarly works on topics such as the crack/powder cocaine disparity ^[27] and the unfairness of the “ three strikes” sentencing policy ^[28] were published during this time. Taifa also testified before the Council of the District of Columbia about policing in this era. ^{[29] [30]}

In 2002, Taifa joined the Open Society Foundations and Open Society Policy Center as a Senior Policy Analyst. ^{[31] [32]} She also managed the organizations’ criminal justice advocacy and founded the Justice Roundtable Coalition. ^[31] In these roles, Taifa continued to testify before the United States Sentencing Commission and other governmental agencies about the disparity in crack versus powder cocaine ^{[33] [34]} and other sentencing issues. Roundtable working groups ^[35] achieved victories when Congress passed the Second Chance Act of 2008 and the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010. ^[36]

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.” ^[37] 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. ^[7]

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. ^[4] 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. ^[4]

A conference on the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution was held in September 1987. ^[38] 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. ^[38] 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. ^[4] She later chaired its Legislative Commission. ^[4]

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. ^{[39] [40]} The bill was the first to propose studying reparations for the descendants of enslaved Africans. ^[41]

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. ^{[42] [43] [44] [45]} In 2014, she acted as a consultant for Ta-Nehisi Coates’ seminal 2014 article, “ The Case for Reparations.” ^[46]  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. ^[47] She also helped the Movement for Black Lives create its M4BL Reparations Tool Kit. ^[48]  

In addition to her domestic efforts, Taifa has testified about reparations before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights ^[49] and the Helsinki Commission. ^[50] She has worked closely with CARICOM representatives and works to ensure that reparations are included in any international discussions about people of African descent. ^[51]

Nkechi Taifa is the Founder and Director of the Reparation Education Project (REP), ^[52] 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.” ^[53] Her latest book, “Reparations on Fire: How and Why It’s Spreading Across America” was published in December 2022. ^[54]  

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.” ^[55]

Governing Board, D.C. Corrections Information Council (2018-)

Advisory Board Member, American Bar Association Racial Justice Improvement Project (2010-2016)

Commissioner & Chair, D.C. Commission on Human Rights (2007-2014)

Member, Board of Directors, American Civil Liberties Union of the National Capital Area  (1998-2004)

Member, Board of Directors, D.C. Prisoners Legal Services, Inc.

(1995-2001)

Chair, D.C. Chapter of National Conference of Black Lawyers (1990-1995; 2015- )

Chair, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) Steering Committee on D.C. Statehood (1993-95)

Chair, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) Steering Committee on Voting Rights (1991-93)

Member, Board of Directors, National Lawyers Guild (1989-91)

Let’s Talk About Reparations, Columbia Journal of Race & Law (2019).

Integrative Solutions to Interrelated Issues: A Multidisciplinary Look Behind the Cycle of Incarceration, Harvard Law & Public Policy Review (2009)(Co-Authored with Catherine Beane) .

Codification or Castration – the Applicability of the International Race Convention to the US Criminal Justice System, Howard Law Journal (1997).

Three Strikes and You’re Out – Mandatory Life Imprisonment for Third Time Felons (1995) (University of Dayton Law Review).

Cracked Justice: A Critical Examination of Cocaine Sentencing, University of West Los Angeles Law Review (1996).

Civil Forfeiture vs. Civil Liberties, New York Law School Law Review (1994).

Tulia, Tip of the Drug War Iceberg (2005) (Book Project Chair)

“ Social Policy Implications of Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System,” Chapter 6 in The Color of Social Policy.

Champion of Justice Award, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (2021)

Wiley Branton Award, National Bar Association (2016)

Cornelius “Neil” Alexander Humanitarian Award, DC Commission on Human Rights (2015)

Reparations on Fire: How and Why it’s Spreading Across America (June 2022)

Black Power, Black Lawyer: My Audacious Quest for Justice (2020)

Shining Legacy: Storypoems for the Young, So Black Heroes and Heroines Forever Will Be Sung (1983, reissued 2021)

The Adventures of Kojo and Ama (1992, reissued 2021)

Three Tales of Wisdom (1983, reissued 2021)