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She attended [[Choate Rosemary Hall]], where she was the only girl to join the boy's wrestling squad.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=2017 Alumni Award Presented to Kristen Clarke '93|url=https://www.choate.edu/alumni/news/item/~post/kristen-clarke-93-named-2017-alumni-award-winner-20170331|access-date=2020-07-20|website=www.choate.edu|language=en-US}}</ref> Clarke earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from [[Harvard University]], where she was involved with initiatives to support and champion African-American students, and graduated in 1997.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-01-31|title=Alumni encourage students to pursue work in public service|url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/01/alumni-encourage-students-to-pursue-work-in-public-service/|access-date=2020-07-20|website=Harvard Gazette|language=en-US}}</ref> She earned a [[Juris Doctor]] from [[Columbia Law School]] in 2000.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Black Law Students Association Honors Maya Wiley '89 at Annual Paul Robeson Gala|url=https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archive/black-law-students-association-honors-maya-wiley-89-annual-paul-robeson-gala|access-date=2020-07-20|website=www.law.columbia.edu|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Biography: Kristen Clarke {{!}} Howard University School of Law|url=http://law.howard.edu/content/biography-kristen-clarke|access-date=2021-01-08|website=law.howard.edu}}</ref>
She attended [[Choate Rosemary Hall]], where she was the only girl to join the boy's wrestling squad.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=2017 Alumni Award Presented to Kristen Clarke '93|url=https://www.choate.edu/alumni/news/item/~post/kristen-clarke-93-named-2017-alumni-award-winner-20170331|access-date=2020-07-20|website=www.choate.edu|language=en-US}}</ref> Clarke earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from [[Harvard University]], where she was involved with initiatives to support and champion African-American students, and graduated in 1997.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-01-31|title=Alumni encourage students to pursue work in public service|url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/01/alumni-encourage-students-to-pursue-work-in-public-service/|access-date=2020-07-20|website=Harvard Gazette|language=en-US}}</ref> She earned a [[Juris Doctor]] from [[Columbia Law School]] in 2000.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Black Law Students Association Honors Maya Wiley '89 at Annual Paul Robeson Gala|url=https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archive/black-law-students-association-honors-maya-wiley-89-annual-paul-robeson-gala|access-date=2020-07-20|website=www.law.columbia.edu|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Biography: Kristen Clarke {{!}} Howard University School of Law|url=http://law.howard.edu/content/biography-kristen-clarke|access-date=2021-01-08|website=law.howard.edu}}</ref>


While a student at Harvard and the president of the Black Studies Association, she allegedly wrote a letter to the editor of the [[Harvard Crimson]], saying, in part,

{{quote|... human mental processes are controlled by melanin -- that same chemical which gives Blacks their superior physical and mental abilities.

... Some scientists have revealed that most whites are unable to produce melanin because their pineal glands are often calcified or non-functioning. Pineal calcification rates with Africans are five to 15 percent, Asians 15 to 25 percent and Europeans 60 to 80 percent. This is the chemical basis for the cultural differences between blacks and whites.

... Melanin endows Blacks with greater mental, physical and spiritual abilities -- something which cannot be measured based on Eurocentric standards.}}<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-01-11|title=Biden pick to head DOJ Civil Rights Division wrote Blacks had 'superior physical and mental abilities'|url=https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-kristen-clarke-doj-civil-rights-division|access-date=2021-01-11|website=Fox News|language=en-US}}</ref>


== Career ==
== Career ==
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*{{Cite book|last1=Marable|first1=Manning|last2=Clarke|first2=Kristen|title=Seeking higher ground : the Hurricane Katrina crisis, race, and public policy reader|date=2008|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-1-4039-8396-1|oclc=129952587}}
*{{Cite book|last1=Marable|first1=Manning|last2=Clarke|first2=Kristen|title=Seeking higher ground : the Hurricane Katrina crisis, race, and public policy reader|date=2008|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-1-4039-8396-1|oclc=129952587}}
*{{Cite paper|last=Clarke|first=Kristen|title=Race-Ing the Post-Katrina Political Landscape: An Analysis of the 2006 New Orleans Election|date=2008|journal=Seeking Higher Ground|pages=33–37|place=New York|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan US|doi=10.1057/9780230610095_3|isbn=978-1-4039-7779-3}}
*{{Cite paper|last=Clarke|first=Kristen|title=Race-Ing the Post-Katrina Political Landscape: An Analysis of the 2006 New Orleans Election|date=2008|journal=Seeking Higher Ground|pages=33–37|place=New York|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan US|doi=10.1057/9780230610095_3|isbn=978-1-4039-7779-3}}

• Clarke, Kristen (1994) [https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1994/10/28/blacks-seek-an-end-to-abuse/ Seeking an End to Abuse https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1994/10/28/blacks-seek-an-end-to-abuse/]


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 05:16, 12 January 2021

For Canadian curler, see Kristin Clarke.
Kristen Clarke
United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division
Nominee
Assuming office
TBD
SucceedingEric Dreiband
Personal details
BildungHarvard University (AB)
Columbia University (JD)

Kristen Clarke is an American attorney who is the president of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. She previously managed the Civil Rights bureau of the New York Department of Law under Eric Schneiderman. In 2019, Clarke successfully represented Taylor Dumpson, the first Jamaican-American woman student body president of American University, in her landmark case against white supremacists. On January 6, 2021, Clarke was nominated to the position of United States Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights under the Biden administration.


Early life and education

Clarke's parents immigrated to Brooklyn from Jamaica.[1] She has said that she "grew up in a household that was about discipline, working hard in school and about making the most of every opportunity".[1] Clarke was a member of Prep for Prep, a non-profit organization that looks to support students of color in accessing private school education.[2][3]

She attended Choate Rosemary Hall, where she was the only girl to join the boy's wrestling squad.[4] Clarke earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University, where she was involved with initiatives to support and champion African-American students, and graduated in 1997.[5] She earned a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School in 2000.[6][7]


Career

After graduating she worked as a trial attorney in the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. In this capacity, she served as a federal prosecutor and worked on voting rights, hate crimes and human trafficking cases.[2][8]

In 2006, Clarke joined the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, where she co-led the political participation group and focussed on election law reform.[9] In 2011 Clarke was appointed Director of the Civil Rights bureau of then Attorney General of New York, Eric Schneiderman, where she led initiatives on criminal justice issues and housing discrimination. Under her initiative, the bureau reached agreements with retailers on racial profiling of their customers, police departments on policy reformer and with school districts on the school-to-prison pipeline.[10][11]

In 2015 Clarke was appointed president and Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.[8][10] One of her first roles was leading Election Protection, a voter protection coalition.[1] She became well known for her work combating the discrimination faced by marginalized communities.[8]

In 2019 Clarke represented Taylor Dumpson, the first African-American woman student body President of American University, in her lawsuit against Andrew Anglin, who placed bananas around campus.[12] He then directed his followers to harass her on social media, a so-called "troll storm".[13] Clarke successfully fought for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to recognize that hateful online trolling can interfere with access to public accommodation, as well as securing damages and a restraining order.[12]

In early-2020, Clarke became concerned that African-American communities would be disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. She believed that the social determinants of health could explain why Black communities were so much more likely to contract severe forms of coronavirus disease, including that individuals in this group were less likely to be able to work from home, more vulnerable to losing their health insurance if they didn't go to work and more likely to suffer chronic diseases like hypertension.[14] In the aftermath of the Killing of George Floyd, Clarke described the pandemic, record rates of unemployment and racial injustice caused by police brutality as a "perfect storm" for social unrest in the United States.[15]

Clarke has appeared as a legal commentator on Here and Now, A.M. Joy, PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton, Sky News Tonight, and Democracy Now!.[16]

On January 6, 2021, Clarke was reported to be Joe Biden's nominee to head the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.[17]

Awards and honors

Selected publications

  • Marable, Manning; Clarke, Kristen (2009). Barack Obama and African American empowerment : the rise of Black America's new leadership (1st ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-10329-0. OCLC 608023888.
  • Marable, Manning; Clarke, Kristen (2008). Seeking higher ground : the Hurricane Katrina crisis, race, and public policy reader. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-8396-1. OCLC 129952587.
  • Clarke, Kristen (2008). "Race-Ing the Post-Katrina Political Landscape: An Analysis of the 2006 New Orleans Election". Seeking Higher Ground. New York: Palgrave Macmillan US: 33–37. doi:10.1057/9780230610095_3. ISBN 978-1-4039-7779-3.


References

  1. ^ a b c Journal, A. B. A. "10 Questions: Kristen Clarke is a leader in 21st century fight for civil rights". ABA Journal. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  2. ^ a b Street, The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School3501 Sansom; Philadelphia; map 215.898.7483, PA 19104. "Kristen Clarke". www.law.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "Prep for Prep | Social Justice & Social Impact". www.prepforprep.org. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  4. ^ a b "2017 Alumni Award Presented to Kristen Clarke '93". www.choate.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  5. ^ "Alumni encourage students to pursue work in public service". Harvard Gazette. 2018-01-31. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  6. ^ a b c "Black Law Students Association Honors Maya Wiley '89 at Annual Paul Robeson Gala". www.law.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  7. ^ "Biography: Kristen Clarke | Howard University School of Law". law.howard.edu. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  8. ^ a b c "Kristen Clarke". Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  9. ^ "Kristen Clarke". Source of the Week. 2017-08-18. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  10. ^ a b "Isaacson Miller Results Details". www.imsearch.com. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  11. ^ "Biography: Kristen Clarke | Howard University School of Law". www2.law.howard.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  12. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ "Intercom - Civil Rights Attorney Kristen Clarke to Speak on the Rise of Hate Crimes". www.ithaca.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  14. ^ Bean, Mackenzie. "COVID-19 may disproportionately affect black Americans". www.beckershospitalreview.com. Retrieved 2020-07-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ "'A Perfect Storm': Kristen Clarke on the National Protests Ripping Across the Nation". NBC New York. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  16. ^ "Kristen Clarke". IMDb. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  17. ^ "Merrick Garland Is To Be Joe Biden's Nominee For Attorney General". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  18. ^ "National Bar Association "40 under 40 Best Advocates" sponsor brochure for 2016". Issuu. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  19. ^ "American Law Journal :: Kristen Clarke ~ Lawyers' Committee For Civil Rights". lawjournaltv.com. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  20. ^ "2015 NYLJ Rising Stars 061615". na.eventscloud.com. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  21. ^ "Kristen Clarke, Hamden's Marcus McCraven Receive Quinnipiac BLSA Awards". Hamden, CT Patch. 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  22. ^ "Louis L. Redding Gala". delawarebarristers. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  23. ^ "The Root 100 - The Most Influential African Americans In 2019". The Root. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
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