Contact: Crystal Drake, Office of Strategic Communications
Judge Andra Sparks ‘85, will join the celebration of founding principal Booker T. Washington, as the 108th Founders Day Convocation keynote speaker, March 29, at 9:30 a.m. in the University Chapel. The university will celebrate Founders Day with a weekend of events March 27-29.
“Judge Sparks, whom I have known for over 40 years, has lived a life full of the tireless pursuit of justice for all, sought through the compassionate lens of every person’s right to self-respect and self-determination, and he embodies the ‘hand, head, and heart’ guiding vision of our founding principal, Booker T. Washington,” said Dr. Mark A. Brown, president and CEO. “Principal Washington and Founder Adams smile today and I look forward to a powerful message from this son of Mother Tuskegee that will inspire us for our first Renaissance Era Founders Day.”
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Sparks earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1988 following his studies at Tuskegee Institute.
In March 2008, he was appointed Municipal Court Judge for the City of Fairfield, the first African American to hold the position. In August 2008, the Birmingham City Council appointed Judge Sparks to a newly established seat on Birmingham’s Municipal Court to establish and preside over the Drug Court and Gun Court Dockets. He was reappointed in 2012, 2017 and 2022.
In December 2010 he was appointed Presiding Judge for the City of Birmingham Municipal Court (the largest Municipal Court in the State of Alabama with five full time judges, two part-time Special Judges and more than one hundred employees) by Mayor William Bell.
Judge Sparks will retire in May leaving a legacy of distinguished service to the residents of Birmingham. Through innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to addressing root causes, Judge Sparks strengthened the justice system while expanding pathways to stability for individuals and families across Birmingham.
During his tenure as Presiding Judge of the Birmingham Municipal Court, Sparks transformed the court into a nationally recognized model. He modernized operations by converting the court from a paper-based mainframe system to a fully paperless and virtual platform, saving taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. Under his leadership, the court established groundbreaking specialty dockets — including Drug Court, Gun Court, Mental Health (HOPE) Court, Homeless Court (Turning Point), Community Court, Bilingual Court, and Alabama’s first-ever Veterans Court — securing more than $7.2 million in federal funding to support treatment and accountability initiatives.
Sparks launched the nationally heralded RENEW Driver’s License Recovery Program that has helped thousands regain driving privileges, and reimagined community service through “Life University,” connecting residents to meaningful personal and professional development opportunities.
Sparks is a member of the Alabama Municipal Judges Association, American Bar Association—Judicial Division (he currently serves as chair of the Specialized Judges Conference), Alabama Bar Association, National Bar Association, Magic City Bar Association, Birmingham Bar Association, NAACP, National Association of Drug Court Professionals, Leadership Birmingham and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
A lifelong member of First Missionary Baptist Church East Boyles in Birmingham, Sparks is an ordained minister. In 2004, he was called to serve as the ninth pastor of Forty-Fifth Street Baptist Church and remains in that capacity today.
See more on the Founders Day schedule of events here: TU26FoundersDay.
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