All About The District Attorney Who Is Going After Donald Trump

In 1971, Fani Taifa Willis was born to a father that valued their African American roots. Indeed, the civil rights activist, John Clifford Floyd III, raised her as a single parent. As someone who was fighting for racial equality, Floyd wanted his daughter to share his passion for her family’s history. As a result, Willis was given a name that would reflect those family values. 

In an interview with South Atlanta Magazine, which was also shared on Fulton County’s website, the Fulton County district attorney opened up about the origins of her name. “So, my father was a Black Panther, so he was very Afrocentric … my name is Swahili. Fani actually means ‘prosperous,’ and Taifa means ‘people.’” She also revealed, “My name is actually [pronounced] Fani (fah-nee).”

Compellingly though, Willis clarified that the “prosperous” element in her name was not a reference to any kind of social class. Instead, she said, the word was meant to represent cultural wealth. The attorney explained, “We’re not talking about material things in wealth, we’re talking about that stuff that really matters … I always remember my roots, that I come from a prosperous people, which are African people.”