Harvard Law Review elects its first black woman president

New York, March 1: For the first time since its existence, the 130-year-old Harvard Law Review has elected a black woman as president.

According to a report in CNN on Tuesday, ImeIme Umana, 24, is the first African-American to lead a journal that has the largest reach of any law journal in the world.

Former US President Barrack Obama was the first black man to be elected as the Review's president 27 years ago.

The journals has had presidents from other minorities also. Also, it has had female presidents also. However, until now, never a black woman.



"Umana was chosen by the Harvard Law Review's 92 student editors in what is widely considered the highest-ranked position that a student can have at the cut-throat law school," the report noted.

Umana grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and was brought up by his Nigerian immigrant parents. She's a joint degree candidate at Harvard Law School and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

"I didn't realise [civics] could be so personal and so alive for a lot of the students," Umana was quoted as saying.

"It taught me sensitivity in teaching but it also taught me, like the public defender's service, to not assume certain backgrounds, certain reactions, certain lived experiences" she added.