Larry Wallace Baraka ’73

Larry W. Baraka ’73, the first Black district judge elected in Dallas County, Texas, died Dec. 6, 2021. He was 71.

Born Larry Wallace, he grew up in a St. Louis housing project and came to Cornell College as a first-generation college student. Once on campus, however, he was shunned and threatened, according to a 1990 D Magazine article titled “The Riddle of Larry Baraka.” The article states, “In his anger, Baraka renounced his Baptist faith and adopted the tenets of Islam espoused by his new hero, Malcolm X.” He discarded the surname Wallace—‘a name given to our family by slave owners’—and called himself Baraka, ‘The Blessed.’ ”

Baraka received his law degree from the University of Houston Law Center after being part of the CLEO (Counsel on Legal Educational Opportunity) program, designed to diversify the legal profession. He was hired as an assistant prosecutor by the Dallas County District Attorney, became the county’s first Black felony prosecutor in 1978, and worked as a defense attorney before successfully running for the Criminal District Court Second Judicial seat, a position he held from 1985 to 1997. According to The Dallas Morning News article upon his death, Baraka’s ascension “served as inspiration for up-and-coming Black lawyers in Dallas County.”

Baraka is survived by his wife and four children.

Cornell College acknowledges Larry Wallace Baraka’s experience as a student. As a priority of its strategic plan, the college is committed to creating a welcoming community in which all individuals are respected and included.