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First female African American Buffalo city court judge dies

Posted at 7:25 AM, Jun 13, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-13 07:25:43-04

The Honorable Barbara Merriweather Sims has passed away. She was the first African American female Buffalo City Court judge.

Merriweather Sims paved the way for so many, being the first African American woman to earn a law degree from the University at Buffalo in 1955 and the first to serve as an Assistant District Attorney in Erie County.

According to Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown's Instagram, "She fought for civil rights against housing discrimination & to advance the rights of women. Her legacy will live on in the hearts of those whose lives she touched."