Lena King Lee

Lena King Lee was born to a family of coal miners, which she credits with providing her with a familiarity with Unions and workers rights. She attended Morgan State where she received her bachelors degree, then went to NYU for her masters degree because of school segregation still prevalent in Maryland. In 1969 she became the first black female attorney to become a delegate to the Maryland General Assembly, and continued to serve on the assembly for 16 years. During that time she worked to change archaic laws from the codes of Maryland. For instance, she helped to establish the no-fault divorce law in Maryland. In doing so, she abolished old laws requiring long separation or proof of fault in order to receive a divorce in Maryland. She also served as the Vice-Chair of the Baltimore City Delegation to the General Assembly and was the first black woman to do so.