Kristen Clarke becomes first Black woman to head DOJ’s Civil Rights Division
- At May 31, 2021
- By fhfla
- In News
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Washington, D.C.-The Senate has confirmed Kristen Clarke to be the Justice Department’s civil rights chief, making her the first Black woman to fill the high-profile role.
Clarke fills the post at a pivotal time for the Justice Department. Clarke, a longtime civil rights attorney, will reinvigorate investigations of systemic housing discrimination, inquiries that languished during the previous administration.
The daughter of Jamaican immigrants, Clarke began her career as a Justice Department lawyer, prosecuting police brutality, hate crimes and human trafficking cases and enforcing voting rights laws. She continued advocacy work on voting rights at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and was the civil rights enforcement officer for the New York State Attorney General’s Office.
” I can think of no better person to lead the Civil Rights Division than Kristen Clarke,” stated Vince Larkins, FHC President/CEO. “At this crucial time in the history of our nation, with Freedom, Justice and Equality hanging in the balance, the FHC congratulates Ms. Clarke on her historic appointment. We look forward to working with her in our common mission of fair housing for all people,” he further stated.
“NFHA extends its warmest congratulations to Kristen Clarke. Her confirmation will help the Justice Department immensely as the agency works to restore the American people’s faith in our democratic institutions, stated Lisa Rice, President and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA). “With her vast experience, Clarke is the most qualified candidate to lead civil rights enforcement for the nation. She is a powerful and dedicated civil rights advocate who has worked at the federal and state levels to enforce fair housing and other civil rights laws. Her entire career – in fact, her entire life – has been spent in the pursuit of equal justice under law, and she is exactly the leader that the Division needs right now,” she further stated.
