Elizabeth Fletcher

Elizabeth Fletcher Allen was an attorney, civil rights activist, and the first Black woman attorney in both the city of South Bend and the state of Indiana. She represented St. Joseph county in the Indiana House of Representatives from 1939 until 1943. Elizabeth used her Juris Doctor degree to advocate and fight for justice. She contributed to the desegregation of the Engman Public Natatorium. She criticized the 1935 shooting of an unarmed Black man, Arthur Owens, by a white South Bend police officer. She also wrote a letter to and received a reply from then-first lady Eleanor Roosevelt to encourage integrated housing. She set a great example for the women of South Bend wanting to pursue a career path in the legal profession.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Fletcher_Allen