Antoinette Jamilah Ali-Sanders (1958-2019) worked to improve society as a designer, developer and organizer. A third-generation college graduate, she trained as a landscape architect with a minor in civil engineering. She was one of the first Black women to graduate in landscape architecture from Rutgers University.
Ali-Sanders worked for the NYC Parks Department for 35 years. At Parks, she worked with the first group of women out in the field in 1981. She prepared contract drawings and documents, and inspected, monitored, managed and supervised the construction of parks, playgrounds and structures, as well as the restoration of monuments. She also founded a construction company called Metro Skyway Construction; a foundation for PEACE (Progressive Economics and Cultural Enrichment); and the Jersey City Monitoring Trade Association. She worked closely with Rev. Al Sharpton, Mayor David Dinkins and Dr. Lenora Fulani when she became a member of the Committee for Independent Community Actions. One of Ali-Sanders' last architectural projects was for a Pan African activist named Queen Makkada, who was planning to build a school in Africa. She was given the honorary title of Lady Jamilah before her passing.
Gil Tauber, "NYC Honorary Street Names," accessed June 15, 2022, http://www.nycstreets.info/
Christian Spencer, "A Street For Jamilah," The Wave, October 3, 2019, https://www.rockawave.com/articles/a-street-for-jamilah/
Obituary, Louise Antoinette Jamilah Ali, Legacy.com, https://www.legacy.com/funeral-homes/obituaries/name/louise-antoinette-ali-obituary?pid=193688784&v=batesville&view=guestbook