Black talents in the diaspora are rising against the odds to stamp their legacy on the world map proving over and over again black is indeed excellent. From the world of politics to science, engineering, medicine, and entertainment black brilliance keep shining through.
In 2021, Kogi State-born Funmi Olorunnipa Badejo made massive headlines upon her appointment by President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as a member of the Office of the White House Counsel.
A lawyer and an alumna of Berkeley Law College, before her appointment in 2021, Badejo previously served as General Counsel of the US House of Representatives Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis; Counsel for Policy to the Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Division at the U.S. Department of Justice; Ethics Counsel at the White House Counsel’s Office; and Attorney Advisor at the Administrative Conference of the United States.
Born in Kogi State, Nigeria, together with her family Funmi later immigrated to the United States of America. She began her legal career as an associate with the law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, and was Legal Counsel at Palantir Technologies Inc.
She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and the University of Florida.
Funmi Badejo lives in Washington D.C. with her husband and son.
