Kristen Clarke gets confirmed to lead U.S. Civil Rights division, making her the Assistant Attorney General; she is the first woman in the history of the division
Vice President Kamal Harris renders the oath of office to Kristen Clarke, the first African American woman to lead the Civil Rights Division with Attorney General Merrick Garland standing by and her mother holding the Bible. SUMMARY It should not have taken any extra effort to get Kristen Clarke, an attorney with a luminous 20-year track record of advocating for equality for all, confirmed to the lead the Civil Rights Division. She was beyond qualified for the job. Clarke is now the first woman to head the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice. Proof that it is important to have women's voices in all areas of leadership, weeks before the final vote, several women spoke up for her in their own way: - Press Secretary Jen Psaki pinpointed several reasons Pres. Joe Biden had nominated Clarke for the role as justification for the Senate to move forward with the vote. - Melanie Campbell and her National Coalition for Black Civic Participation promoted her confirmation onl...