Unity Dow
A lawyer who became a judge and then a minister, she has spent her life dismantling legal barriers for women and marginalized communities in Botswana.
Born 1959 (age 67)·Motswana politician, writer, and human rights activist·Birthday: April 23·Baby Boomers
Biography
Unity Dow was born in a rural village in what was then the Bechuanaland Protectorate, her worldview shaped by the tension between tradition and the modern education her parents fiercely championed. After studying law in Swaziland and Scotland, she returned to a Botswana where women's legal status was often secondary. She didn't just practice law; she weaponized it, famously challenging the Citizenship Act to grant women the right to pass nationality to their children. Her courtroom victories paved her path to the High Court bench, making her the first woman to serve as a judge in Botswana. Later, she transitioned into politics and cabinet roles, ensuring the policies she once fought for in court were enacted into law. Beyond the courtroom and parliament, she is a novelist, using fiction to explore the same social fissures her legal work addresses.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Unity was born in 1959, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Unity Was Born
The biggest hits of 1959
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur
Best Picture
Ben-Hur
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Unity's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1959Born
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1964Started school
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1972Became a teenager
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Could drive
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1977Could vote
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Turned 21
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1989Turned 30
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 40
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 50
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 60
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 67 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Successfully litigated the landmark 1992 case that struck down Botswana's Citizenship Act for discriminating against women.
- Served as the first female judge on the High Court of Botswana from 1998 to 2009.
- Authored several novels, including 'Far and Beyon'' and 'The Screaming of the Innocent', that examine social issues in Southern Africa.
- Held cabinet positions as Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Minister of Education and Skills Development.
Did You Know?
She initially trained and worked as a primary school teacher before pursuing law.
Her law degree was awarded by the University of Botswana and Swaziland, but her studies were completed at the University of Edinburgh.
She co-founded the first all-female law firm in Botswana in 1996.
She is a passionate advocate for environmental conservation and served on the board of Conservation International.
“If you are not at the table, you are on the menu.”
