Morenike Fajana serves as Senior Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. Prior to this role, Morenike was a Special Counsel at the New York State Office of the Attorney General, where she worked on civil rights litigation, policy and advocacy matters. Morenike previously worked as a tenant attorney representing individuals, tenant groups and tenant associations across New York City at the Legal Aid Society and the New York Legal Assistance Group. Morenike began her legal career as a human rights researcher working in Berlin, Germany and Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Morenike’s work at the New York State Office of the Attorney General included legal challenges to the New York City Police Department’s policing practices, the United States Postal Service’s transportation policies, and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s policy of arresting non-citizens in and around New York State courthouses. As a tenant attorney, Morenike helped low-income families secure habitable housing, defend against eviction proceedings and obtain relief for harassment and racial discrimination under the Fair Housing Act. While working as a human rights researcher, Morenike published scholarly articles and reports on international humanitarian law, extraordinary rendition, the right to water and election integrity in Haiti.
Morenike obtained her J.D. from Columbia Law School, and B.A. from New York University. She is admitted to practice in New York and the District of Columbia. She is the proud daughter of Nigerian immigrants.
