Pamela Alexander
*Pamela G. Alexander was born on this date in 1952. She is a retired Black Judge, lawyer, administrator, and community activist.
She is one of 5 children born to Robert and Francis Alexander from Minneapolis. She has said that "at the age of 12, her courtroom testimony in the rape of a friend was instrumental in her law career pursuit". After graduating from Minneapolis Central High School, she received her BA from Augsburg College in 1974. That same year she became a Law Clerk at the Neighborhood Justice Center and the Legal Rights Center.
In 1977 Alexander attained her JD from the University of Minnesota Law School. During that time, she was also a Trust Administrator at First Bank. In 1978, she was an attorney with the Legal Rights Center, then moved to the Hennepin County Criminal Division in 1980. In 1983, she was appointed to the Municipal Court of Minnesota. In 1986, Alexander became District Court Judge by court merger and was elected again in 1990, 1996, and 2002.
Alexander sits on many community boards and committees, including The Minneapolis Foundation Board of Trustees, the Children's Defense Fund, and the Juvenile Judges Leadership Council, and has been awarded numerous community service awards ranging from the University of St. Thomas School of Law Dean's Award for Outstanding Teaching to the NAACP Profiles in Courage Award.
A mother of two children, Alexander is currently executive director of the Minnesota Council on Crime and Justice.
African American Registry
Voices That Guide Us interview, 2008
Box 19441
Minneapolis, MN 55419
