Martha Richards Conley, Esq.

Martha Richards Conley, Esq. Bio

Martha Richards Conley, Esq. a native Pittsburgher, was the first African American female graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and the first admitted to practice law in Allegheny County. She was employed by The United States Steel Corporation for 27 years and retired as Senior General Attorney.

She is a long-time opponent of the death penalty and Co-Chairs Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty–Pittsburgh. She is an Official Visitor of the Pennsylvania Prison Society and was honored to escort the late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu to visit then death Row inmate Mumia Abu Jamal at SCI Greene in 2007.

Martha was inspired to study film by her experience visiting death row inmates. She began taking classes in filmmaking at Pittsburgh Filmmakers and Scribe Video in Philadelphia.  She was an associate producer on the locally produced Lost in the Hype, written and directed by Aisha White, and served as assistant director on Tango Macbeth, directed by Nadine Patterson.