Terri Sewell

Terri Sewell
Born	Terrycina Andrea Sewell 1 1, 1965
Birthplace	Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, lawyer
Known for	First African-American woman elected to Congress from Alabama
Education	Princeton University (BA) St Hilda's College, Oxford (BA, MA) Harvard Law School (JD)
Website	[Official website Official site]

Terrycina Andrea "Terri" Sewell (born January 1, 1965) is an American politician and lawyer who has served as the U.S. representative for Alabama's 7th congressional district since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, Sewell represents a district that encompasses most of Alabama's Black Belt region, as well as predominantly African American portions of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. She is the first African-American woman elected to Congress from the state of Alabama and was, along with Republican Martha Roby, one of the first women elected to Congress from Alabama in a regular election. Before entering politics, Sewell built a career in law, working as a securities lawyer at the prominent firm Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York City and later as a public finance lawyer at Maynard, Cooper & Gale in Birmingham, where she became the first Black woman to make partner. Her academic background includes degrees from Princeton University, St Hilda's College, Oxford, and Harvard Law School. In Congress, Sewell has focused on issues affecting her district, including voting rights, healthcare, economic development, and civil rights. As of 2026, she serves as Chair of the New Democrat Coalition's Health Care Working Group and continues to represent Alabama's 7th district.

Early Life

Terrycina Andrea Sewell was born on January 1, 1965, in Huntsville, Alabama. She grew up in Selma, Alabama, a city with deep significance in the history of the American civil rights movement. Selma served as the site of the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery marches, a seminal event in the struggle for voting rights for African Americans. Sewell's upbringing in this historically significant community shaped her later political career and her commitment to civil rights and voting rights issues.

Sewell has spoken publicly about the influence her hometown had on her worldview and her sense of public service. The legacy of the civil rights movement in Selma remained a constant presence throughout her childhood. Growing up in a community that had been at the center of the struggle for equal rights instilled in her an awareness of the importance of political engagement and civic participation.

Her cousin, Briana Sewell, also entered politics, serving in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Education

Sewell pursued an extensive academic career across three prominent institutions. She attended Princeton University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. She subsequently studied at St Hilda's College at the University of Oxford in England, where she earned a second bachelor's degree that was, by Oxford tradition, later promoted to a Master of Arts. Sewell then attended Harvard Law School, where she earned her Juris Doctor degree.

Her education at three elite institutions—Princeton, Oxford, and Harvard—provided her with a strong foundation in both public policy and law. The combination of an undergraduate education in the liberal arts, international study at one of the world's oldest universities, and professional legal training at Harvard prepared Sewell for careers in both corporate law and public service.

Career

Legal Career

After completing her legal education at Harvard Law School, Sewell began her career as a securities lawyer at Davis Polk & Wardwell, one of the most prominent law firms in New York City. At Davis Polk, she gained experience in securities law, working on complex financial transactions and regulatory matters.

Sewell later returned to Alabama, joining the Birmingham-based law firm Maynard, Cooper & Gale, where she practiced public finance law. At Maynard, Cooper & Gale, she became the first Black woman to achieve the position of partner at the firm, a milestone that reflected both her legal acumen and the barriers she overcame in the legal profession in Alabama. Her work in public finance law involved advising government entities and other clients on bond issues, tax-exempt financing, and other matters related to public infrastructure and development.

Her legal career provided her with expertise in financial matters that she would later bring to her work in Congress, particularly on issues related to economic development, taxation, and infrastructure investment in her district.

Entry into Politics

Sewell entered electoral politics in 2010, running for the U.S. House seat in Alabama's 7th congressional district. The seat had been held by Artur Davis, a fellow Democrat who vacated it to run for governor of Alabama. Alabama's 7th district is a majority-minority district that encompasses much of the state's Black Belt region—a swath of counties across central and western Alabama historically defined by their rich dark soil and large African American populations—as well as significant portions of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa.

Sewell won the Democratic primary and went on to win the general election in November 2010, making history as the first African-American woman elected to Congress from Alabama. Along with Republican Martha Roby, who was elected to represent Alabama's 2nd congressional district in the same election cycle, Sewell was one of the first women elected to Congress from Alabama in a regular (non-special) election.

Congressional Service

Sewell took office on January 3, 2011, succeeding Artur Davis as the representative for Alabama's 7th congressional district. She has been reelected multiple times since her initial victory. In 2012, she ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination and won reelection.

Throughout her time in Congress, Sewell has focused on a range of policy areas central to her district's needs, including economic development in the Black Belt, healthcare access, infrastructure improvement, voting rights, and civil rights. Her district includes areas with significant poverty and health disparities, making healthcare and economic policy priorities for her constituents.

Sewell has been assessed for bipartisanship in her congressional work. The Lugar Center and McCourt School of Public Policy's Bipartisan Index, which measures how often members of Congress co-sponsor bills introduced by members of the opposite party and how often their own bills attract co-sponsors from the opposite party, included Sewell in its rankings for the 114th Congress.

Civil Rights and Voting Rights

As a representative from Selma, Alabama, Sewell has been closely associated with civil rights issues throughout her congressional tenure. Her district includes many of the landmarks and communities that were central to the American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. She has used her platform to advocate for the preservation and strengthening of voting rights protections.

In June 2015, following the Charleston church shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, Sewell spoke publicly about the intersection of race, religion, and community. The shooting, in which nine African Americans were killed during a Bible study session, prompted a national conversation about race relations and gun violence.

In 2015, Sewell also reflected publicly on the state of her hometown of Selma, fifty years after the historic Selma-to-Montgomery marches. While the city holds an important place in American history as a symbol of the civil rights struggle, Sewell acknowledged the ongoing challenges facing Selma, including economic hardship and population decline. She has worked to draw attention to the needs of communities in Alabama's Black Belt region that continue to face poverty, inadequate infrastructure, and limited economic opportunity.

In February 2026, Sewell remembered the life of civil rights leader JoAnne Bland, who had been active in the Selma civil rights movement. Sewell and Selma Mayor Johnny Moss III were among those who paused to honor Bland's contributions to the civil rights struggle.

Healthcare Policy

Healthcare has been a significant focus of Sewell's legislative work, particularly given the health disparities present in her district. As of December 2025, Sewell serves as Chair of the New Democrat Coalition's Health Care Working Group. In that capacity, she unveiled the coalition's Health Care Action Plan, which outlined policy priorities related to healthcare access and affordability.

A notable legislative achievement in healthcare came in February 2026, when President Trump signed into law H.R. 842, the Nancy Gardner Sewell Multi-Cancer Early Detection Act. The legislation, which Sewell celebrated on World Cancer Day (February 4, 2026), was named in honor of Nancy Gardner Sewell. The bill addressed multi-cancer early detection screening and represented a personal as well as policy priority for the congresswoman.

Tax and Fiscal Policy

Sewell has also been involved in tax policy legislation. In December 2025, she celebrated the unanimous passage of the Tax Court Improvement Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bipartisan legislation aimed to improve the operations and procedures of the United States Tax Court.

In February 2026, Sewell issued a statement regarding the Supreme Court's ruling on President Trump's tariffs, indicating her continued engagement with fiscal and trade policy issues affecting her constituents and the broader economy.

Education and Youth Engagement

Sewell has maintained an active presence in educational outreach throughout her congressional career. In February 2026, she met with students from the Minorities Achieving Dreams of Excellence program at the University of Montevallo, discussing the importance of diversity in education and public life.

Her office has also maintained programs designed to engage young people in her district. In February 2026, she announced the 2026 Congressional Art Competition, inviting submissions from students in Alabama's 7th district. Additionally, her Washington, D.C. and district offices accept applications for summer internships, providing opportunities for young people to gain experience in government.

Personal Life

Sewell married Theodore Dixie Jr. in 1998. The wedding was noted in The New York Times wedding announcements.

Her cousin, Briana Sewell, has served in the Virginia House of Delegates, making politics a shared pursuit within the extended Sewell family.

Sewell has maintained a strong connection to her hometown of Selma, Alabama, throughout her career. Despite living and working in Birmingham and Washington, D.C., she has frequently referenced the influence of growing up in Selma on her values and her commitment to public service. The legacy of the civil rights movement, and particularly the events that took place in Selma in the 1960s, has been a recurring theme in her public life and legislative work.

The Nancy Gardner Sewell Multi-Cancer Early Detection Act, signed into law in February 2026, was named in connection with the Sewell family, reflecting the personal significance of healthcare policy to the congresswoman.

Recognition

Sewell's election in 2010 was recognized as a historic milestone, as she became the first African-American woman to represent Alabama in the United States Congress. This achievement was noted by media outlets covering the 2010 midterm elections as part of a broader wave of new Black lawmakers entering Congress that year.

Her career prior to politics also earned recognition. While at Maynard, Cooper & Gale in Birmingham, her achievement as the first Black woman to make partner at the firm was noted in legal industry publications.

Sewell has been profiled by major national publications, including The Washington Post, which has covered her connection to Selma and her perspective on civil rights, race, and community life in Alabama. Her profile in the Washington Post described her relationship to her hometown and the enduring challenges facing the city of Selma decades after the civil rights era.

The Encyclopedia of Alabama maintains an entry on Sewell, recognizing her significance to the state's political history. Her official congressional biography is maintained by the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

Legacy

Terri Sewell's election in 2010 marked a turning point in Alabama's political history. As the first African-American woman elected to Congress from a state that was at the center of the civil rights struggle, her election carried both symbolic and practical significance. Alabama's 7th congressional district, which includes Selma and much of the Black Belt, is a region where the fight for voting rights was waged with particular intensity during the 1960s. Sewell's representation of this district connects the history of the civil rights movement to contemporary governance.

Her career trajectory—from Selma to Princeton, Oxford, and Harvard, and then to Wall Street, a Birmingham law firm, and ultimately to Congress—reflects a path that intersected with multiple spheres of American professional and public life. Her legal career, particularly her distinction as the first Black woman to make partner at Maynard, Cooper & Gale, represented a milestone in the Alabama legal community.

In Congress, Sewell has worked to address the persistent economic and social challenges facing Alabama's Black Belt region, including poverty, healthcare access, infrastructure deficits, and educational opportunity. The signing of the Nancy Gardner Sewell Multi-Cancer Early Detection Act in 2026 represented a legislative accomplishment with both policy implications for cancer screening nationwide and personal significance for the Sewell family.

Her engagement with younger generations—through meetings with university students, congressional art competitions, and internship programs—reflects an effort to connect the next generation of Alabamians with the democratic process and with the history of civic engagement in the communities she represents.