Charlotte E. Ray

**Charlotte E. Ray** (13 ga Janairu, 1850 - Janairu 4, 1911) lauyar Amurka ce. Ita ce bakar fata ta farko lauya a Amurka. Ray ta sauke karatu daga Makarantar Shari'a ta Jami'ar Howard a 1872. Ita ce mace ta farko da aka shigar da ita a gundumar Columbia Bar, kuma mace ta farko da ta shigar da kara a gaban Kotun Koli na Gundumar. An yi amfani da shigar da ita a matsayin misali ga mata a wasu jihohin da suka nemi izinin shiga Bar.

Ray ta bude ofishin lauyanta, talla a wata jarida da Frederick Douglass ke gudanarwa. Duk da haka, ta yi aiki da doka na ƴan shekaru kawai saboda rashin son kai ga ƴan Afirka da mata ya sa kasuwancinta ya kasance mai dorewa. Daga baya Ray ta ƙaura zuwa New York, inda ta zama malama a Brooklyn. Ta shiga cikin gwagwarmayar zaɓen mata kuma ta shiga Ƙungiyar Mata masu launi ta ƙasa.

## Rayuwar farko

An haifi Charlotte Ray a Birnin New York zuwa Charlotte Augusta Burroughs da Reverend Charles Bennett Ray. Reverend Ray ya kasance muhimmiyar mahimmanci a cikin motsi na abolitionist kuma ya gyara wata jarida mai suna *The Colored American.* Charlotte tana da ’yan’uwa shida, ciki har da ’yan’uwa mata biyu, Henrietta Cordelia da Florence. Ilimi yana da mahimmanci ga mahaifinta, wanda ya tabbatar da kowace 'ya'yansa sun tafi jami'a. Charlotte ta halarci makarantar da ake kira Cibiyar Ilimin Matasa masu launi (yanzu ana kiranta Jami'ar District of Columbia) a Washington DC, ta kammala karatun a 1869. Yana ɗaya daga cikin ƴan wuraren da bakar fata za ta iya samun ingantaccen ilimi.

Bayan haka Ray ta zama malami a Jami'ar Howard a Sashen Al'ada da Shirye-shirye, wanda shi ne Makarantar Prep na Jami'ar. Yayin koyarwa a Howard, ta yi rajista a Sashen Shari'a, kamar C. E. Ray. Charlotte Ray ta sauke karatu a ranar 27 ga Fabrairu, 1872, tana kammala shirin shekaru uku, a matsayin mace ta farko da ta kammala digiri daga Makarantar Shari'a ta Jami'ar Howard. Majiyoyi sun ce ta kammala karatun Phi Beta Kappa, amma Jami'ar Howard ba ta sami babin Phi Beta Kappa ba har zuwa 1953.

Yayin da take makarantar shari'a an yi imanin ta kware a fannin shari'a. An bayyana ta a matsayin matar da Janar O. O. Howard, wanda ya kafa kuma shugaban farko na Jami'ar Howard ya ambata, da cewa "karanta mana kasida kan kamfanoni, ba a kwafi daga litattafai ba amma daga kwakwalwarta, cikakken bincike na daya daga cikin mafi m tambayoyi na shari'a." Wasu kuma suna ba da shawarar cewa Mary Ann Shadd Cary ita ce mutumin da ake tambaya.

## Rigimar shiga

An shigar da ita Makarantar Shari'a ta Howard a gundumar Columbia a 1872 saboda ta yi rajista a ƙarƙashin sunan "C. E. Ray" kuma Ray ta yi amfani da wani madadin suna don ɓoye jinsin ta don kada a soke shigar ta nan take. A cewar wasu, ba a tabbatar da amfani da baƙaƙen da ta yi ba, kuma da ba za a buƙaci haka ba, domin Jami’ar Howard a wannan lokaci tana da ƙayyadaddun manufofin yarda da maza da mata baƙi.

## Ayyuka masu zaman kansu

An shigar da Ray a Gundumar Columbia Bar a ranar 2 ga Maris, 1872, kuma ta yarda ta yi aiki a Kotun Koli na Gundumar Columbia ranar 23 ga Afrilu, 1872. An lura da alƙawarin nata a cikin *Woman's Journal* kuma ta sami shigarta a matsayin ɗaya daga cikin *Women of the Century*. Ray ta fara aikinta mai zaman kanta na dokar kasuwanci a cikin 1872, talla a cikin jaridu irin su *New National Era and Citizen*, mallakar Frederick Douglass. Wasu majiyoyi sun nuna cewa tana fatan ta kware a kan dokar mallakar gidaje, wanda zai shafi karancin fitowa a kotu.

Duk da haka, akwai shaidun da ke nuna cewa tana aiki a kotu. Ita ce mace ta farko da ta fara aiki kuma ta yi jayayya a Kotun Koli ta Gundumar Columbia, inda ta shigar da karar *Gadley v.* *Gadley* (vt. *Godling v. Godling* Godling A wannan yanayin, ta kare wata mata da ba ta da ilimi da ke neman a raba auren da mijinta ya zagi. Takaddamar dai ta ta’allaka ne a kan dalilan “shaye-shaye na al’ada” da kuma “zaluntar mu’amala, da ke jefa rai ko lafiya ga jam’iyyar da ke korafi”. Koke-koken Ray ta haifar da tashin hankali a auratayya a fili, inda ta kwatanta wani lamari da mijin ya fara karya gadon, har matar ta kwanta a kasa, sannan “ya sauko daga benen, ya samu gatari, ya dawo, ya yage katako a ciki falon", da nufin ya sa matarsa faduwa ta karya wuyanta.

An ce Charlotte Ray ta kasance mai iya magana, mai iko, kuma "daya daga cikin mafi kyawun lauyoyi a kan hukumomi a kasar." Duk da haka duk da haɗin gwiwarta da tallace-tallace na Howard, ba ta iya kula da tsayayyen abokin ciniki ba, wanda zai iya ɗaukar kanta. Ba tare da la'akari da iliminta na shari'a da ƙwarewar shari'ar kamfani ba, mutane da yawa ba su yarda su amince da mace baƙar fata da shari'o'in su ba. Lauyan Wisconsin Kate Kane Rossi, a 1897, ta tuna cewa "Miss Ray ... ko da take lauya na yanke shawara iyawa, saboda son zuciya bai iya samun isasshen shari'a kasuwanci da kuma ta daina ... mai aiki." Maimakon haka ta koma koyarwa, tana aiki a tsarin makarantar Brooklyn.

## Rayuwa ta sirri

Mawaƙ Henrietta Cordelia Ray 'yar uwarta ce. A lokaci guda duka ’yan’uwa mata uku malamai ne. Charlotte ta daina koyarwa na ɗan lokaci don yin aiki da doka, kuma Henrietta Cordelia ta daina koyarwa don samun malamanta da rubuta waƙoƙi.

Ray ta halarci taron Ƙungiyar Suffrage ta Ƙasa ta New York a 1876. Bayan 1895 Ray tana da alama tana aiki a Ƙungiyar Mata Masu Launi.

Ta yi aure a ƙarshen 1880s kuma ta zama Charlotte E. Fraim.

A cikin 1897 ta ƙaura zuwa Woodside, Long Island, inda ta mutu sakamakon mummunar cutar sankarau tana da shekaru 60 a ranar 4 ga Janairu, 1911.

## Girmamawa bayan mutuwa

A cikin Maris 2006, Makarantar Shari'a ta Jami'ar Arewa maso Gabas (

(Boston, MA) babi na Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity International ta zaɓi girmama Ray ta hanyar sanya sunan sabon babin da aka yi mata lakabi da ita, don amincewa da matsayinta na mace ta farko Ba'amurke lauya.

## Manazarta