Melanie Lomax
Encyclopedia
Melanie Elizabeth Lomax was a civil rights
lawyer and former head of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners.
Lomax was the daughter of Lucius W. Lomax, Jr. (1910-73), an attorney, and Hallie Almena Davis Lomax
(1915-2011), a civil rights activist and editor of the Los Angeles Tribune.
A native of Los Angeles, California
, Lomax graduated from the University of California, Berkeley
, and Loyola Law School
in Los Angeles.
In the early 1960s, her mother took her to visit the segregated
South, an experience which had a lasting effect on Melanie, who decided to focus on civil rights instead of following her father into criminal law. In 1975, she started working for the Los Angeles County Counsel's office, defending county agencies in labor and civil matters. She founded her own firm in 1984, specializing in age, sex and racial discrimination cases.
Appointed by Mayor Tom Bradley
, Lomax was the first black woman to lead the Los Angeles Police Commission, which she headed when motorist Rodney King
was beaten by four officers of the Los Angeles Police Department
. She won many friends and enemies in its aftermath, when she waged a high-profile battle to oust controversial Police Chief Daryl F. Gates in an effort to transform the department's culture.
Her brother, Michael L. Lomax
, is president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund
.
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
lawyer and former head of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners.
Lomax was the daughter of Lucius W. Lomax, Jr. (1910-73), an attorney, and Hallie Almena Davis Lomax
Almena Lomax
Hallie Almena Lomax was an African American journalist and civil rights activist. Born in Galveston, Texas, Lomax moved as a young child with her family to Chicago and later California, where she studied journalism at Los Angeles City College...
(1915-2011), a civil rights activist and editor of the Los Angeles Tribune.
A native of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Lomax graduated from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, and Loyola Law School
Loyola Law School
Loyola Law School is the law school of Loyola Marymount University, a private Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions, in Los Angeles, California. Loyola was established in 1920. Like Loyola University Chicago School of Law and Loyola University New Orleans College of Law , it...
in Los Angeles.
In the early 1960s, her mother took her to visit the segregated
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
South, an experience which had a lasting effect on Melanie, who decided to focus on civil rights instead of following her father into criminal law. In 1975, she started working for the Los Angeles County Counsel's office, defending county agencies in labor and civil matters. She founded her own firm in 1984, specializing in age, sex and racial discrimination cases.
Appointed by Mayor Tom Bradley
Tom Bradley (politician)
Thomas J. "Tom" Bradley was the 38th Mayor of Los Angeles, California, serving in that office from 1973 to 1993. He was the first and to date only African American mayor of Los Angeles...
, Lomax was the first black woman to lead the Los Angeles Police Commission, which she headed when motorist Rodney King
Rodney King
Rodney Glen King is an American best known for his involvement in a police brutality case involving the Los Angeles Police Department on March 3, 1991...
was beaten by four officers of the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
. She won many friends and enemies in its aftermath, when she waged a high-profile battle to oust controversial Police Chief Daryl F. Gates in an effort to transform the department's culture.
Her brother, Michael L. Lomax
Michael Lomax
Dr. Michael Lucius Lomax is, since 2004, the president and chief executive officer of the United Negro College Fund of the United States. Lomax is the son of Lucius W. Lomax, Jr...
, is president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund
United Negro College Fund
The United Negro College Fund is an American philanthropic organization that fundraises college tuition money for black students and general scholarship funds for 39 private historically black colleges and universities. The UNCF was incorporated on April 25, 1944 by Frederick D. Patterson , Mary...
.