(Washington, DC) - Congresswoman Corrine Brown was thrilled to see that her undergraduate alma mater, Florida A&M University's school of law, received full accreditation today from the American Bar Association (ABA).  "I was very, very pleased when I heard the news that Florida A&M University's law school was approved for accreditation!" said an ecstatic Congresswoman Brown.  "Indeed, this is a victory for the school, the people of Florida, the future of the legal community, and of course, for the hard-working, studious, students of FAMU," continued the Congresswoman.

"Indeed, this is a victory that the school, its professors and student body deserve.  I remember the humiliation and anger we felt as FAMU students when, in 1965, the Florida legislature voted to close the law school and move it to Florida State University.  Today, after all these years, the law school is not only up and running, but is officially accredited.  And with accreditation its programs will be given an even bigger boost, and the school will be able to attract even more students and successfully continue to produce a diverse body of lawyers for the surrounding Orlando community and the state of Florida as a whole," said the Congresswoman. 

The Congresswoman continued:

"FAMU Law, in fact, has proven to be successful not only in the arena of academics, but the school was also recognized for having the most diverse student body in the nation.  The school has also established the Center for International Law and Justice, which is designed to expand the school's presence in the developing world.  On the local level, the school is working diligently towards becoming increasingly influential in the greater Orlando community.     

In fact, my mentor, Gwendolyn Sawyer Cherry, graduated from one of the very last classes at FAMU's law school in Tallahassee in the 1960's (1968).  Ms. Sawyer Cherry went on to become the first African-American woman to serve in the Florida Legislature in 1970, as well as Dade County Florida's first black female attorney.  One of the other more illustrious FAMU law school graduates is my brilliant colleague in the U.S. House, Rep. Alcee Hastings (class of 1963), who represents the 23rd district of Florida.  Before his congressional career, Rep. Hastings served as a distinguished civil rights activist and attorney, and in 1979, became the first African-American Federal Judge in the state of Florida, and served for ten years in that capacity. 

Lastly, I am certain that the Federal Courthouse, for which I worked arduously over the years to obtain millions of dollars in federal funding, will serve as a perfect training place for the students and will contribute tremendously to the legal community as a whole.  Located directly across from the law school, it will provide a high quality structure in which to carry out the law."

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