Francesta Elizabeth Farmer, who died of pulmonary failure, had many lives: as a lawyer, a civil and equal rights champion, a public servant, an expert on civil society and governance and - centrally and always - as perhaps the most eloquent, forceful, passionate and knowledgeable worker for women's reproductive health across Africa. In almost every part of almost every country, she was loved by women she regarded as sisters. In remote villages and sophisticated urban environments, she formed webs of relationships that supported and sustained the people she encountered.
View Francesta Farmer's profile on MyAfrica »I had met Fran when she was Director of the Congressional Black Caucus and thought she had decided to leave it rather suddenly. Both personally and as a reporter, I liked her being there because she always spoke to me with a direct honesty rare on Capitol Hill. I wondered tentatively in a conversation with her, why she was leaving; what she planned to do next. Well, she replied, you always have to be true to the best in yourself. I don’t think there was ever a time when she wasn’t true to the best in herself, and her best was truly extraordinary.
I first met Fran as a teenager, and my early memories of her are as possibly the coolest person in the world and a tireless advocate on behalf of (my) adolescent rights. She helped me learn about the world, spent time writing numerous letters of recommendation, and served as an example of how to live an engaged, analytical life. Later, when I was in college, she took me out to dinner every time she came through town, and continued to provide both invaluable advice and a shoulder to lean on. She taught me a great deal, but always gently, gracefully and graciously.
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Francesta E. Farmer, the daughter of Hilda H. Farmer and the late Fred E. Farmer, Jr. was born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina on October 28, 1949 and would later become a United States federal government official, congressional staff director and diplomat, spending nearly two decades in Africa promoting development and democracy. Fran, as she was affectionately called by friends and family, passed on to her eternal resting place on April 26, 2009 at Johns Hopkins Hospital, in Baltimore, Maryland.
While she grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina she attended Carver High School when the family moved to Fort Benning, Georgia. Later selected for a special talented and gifted program North Haven High School in North Haven, Connecticut, she graduated valedictorian of her class.
Fran’s college years were spent at Radcliffe College graduating in 1971 and Harvard Law School where she excelled and graduated in 1974. Her professional career began in New York practicing law, but she transitioned quickly to work in government, moving to Washington DC to work as a legislative assistant to Senator Edward W. Brooke, the first African American elected to the U.S. Senate. Francesta next worked as the Assistant Director of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under the Chairmanship of Eleanor Holmes Norton and following her stint with the EEOC, she was appointed Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus.
In 1984, Fran became a teaching fellow in the prestigious John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and in 1986 moved to New York City to be the Executive Director of Operations Crossroads Africa which is a cross cultural exchange program for young North Americans and Africans. Crossroads Africa sparked Fran’s love for the African continent and in 1989, she began working for Pathfinder International, a global leader in reproductive health. After living and working in Kenya for 14 years, she moved to Abuja, Nigeria where she worked for the National Democratic Institute, a non-profit U.S. political organization that supports democratic institutions worldwide.
Fran returned to the United States in the fall of 2006, so that she could be closer to her family. Fran was especially eager to spend more time with her lovely grandchildren, Kris and Zora. Upon her return to the US, Fran worked as a senior policy advisor for Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald. She also worked as a senior staff member of the Whitaker Group, and she lead special projects in East Africa as an independent consultant.
The eldest of four daughters, she leaves to mourn her homegoing her mother, Hilda H. Farmer, her daughter Niambi Love, son-in-law Kristofer Love Sr., two grandchildren, Kristofer Love Jr. and Zora Love. She also leaves her sisters: Mychelle Farmer and husband James DeGraffenreidt Jr., April Jenkins and husband Lewis L Jenkins, Joy May husband Ross May Jr. Also grieving this loss are aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and legions of friends, for Fran never met a stranger.
Please make a contribution in Francesta E. Farmer’s memory to:
Africare Attention:Gifts P.O. Box 11454 440 R Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001
American Diabetes Association Alexandria, VA 22312
My memories of Fran are so diverse that I'll do separate vignettes. When my son Roban was eleven, Fran insisted that I bring him along with me to a conference she had organized for African women parliamentarians. And she used her own money to help pay for his ticket to make it possible.
At the Mt. Kenya Safari Club, where the event took place, children under 12 were banished to a separate eating place. "Now, Roban," Auntie Fran said before we went into the main dining room, "you are 12. If anyone asks, you are 12."
"But I'm not 12," said Roban, horrified. "You have to be 12 to go in there. It's a rule. (He was a bit of a stickler for rules at that age.)
"Roban," said Fran, stooping down, putting a hand on each of his shoulders and looking right into his eyes, "sometimes you have to break the rules to get something done." It was one of so many life lessons our boys learned from Fran over the years.