Raqiyyah is a Partner at Arnold & Porter where she co-chairs the firm’s Consumer Products & Retail practice. She is recognized by Chambers as one of the nation’s top advertising attorneys and by Best Lawyers for her FDA practice. Yet she has consistently balanced her corporate legal career with her commitment to ministry, leadership, and service. For example, Raqiyyah is a loyal member of our Senior Youth ministry and co-leads the Do Good Sunday efforts (every 5th Sunday) for our Higher Ground ministry. Raqiyyah has also co-led our VBS YLP program and served in Royal Priesthood and Psalms of Praise. A little known family fact is that in the 1940s, Raqiyyah’s mother’s family founded their family church, Ebenezer Baptist Church in East Chicago, Indiana; literally, built it from the ground up and it is still standing today. Her family is deeply rooted in service – service to the community and service to the Lord. Her brother is the Vice President for Field Ministries, Eastern U.S. for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA and her sister is in youth ministry, currently serving with Kid’s Street. Raqiyyah not only brings her professional acumen and experience but also a personal spirit of collaboration, humility, and service.
While born in White Plains, New York, grew up in Hampton, Virginia, attended college at both Howard and Stanford Universities, and received a B.A. in psychology from Stanford University in 2003. After college, Raqiyyah returned to Virginia for law school, receiving her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2006. Raqiyyah has significant board experience. She currently is on the Board of Directors for the Shaw Community Center in Washington, D.C., a benefactor for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington’s Fearless Girls Program, and a member of the Federal City Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority, Inc. Raqiyyah also serves as co-counsel with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in filing an administrative complaint with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights against Southlake, Texas’s Carroll Independent School District for its failure to ensure that students do not experience a hostile environment because of their race. Raqiyyahhas been featured as one of Ebony Magazine’s “Top Leaders Under 30,” The Washington Business Journal’s “40 Under 40,” The Network Journal’s “Top 40 Under Forty.” She’s is a loyal NY Giants, Lebron James, and NY Knicks fan (although she can be caught at Wizards game!) and loves to play tennis.