Kristen Clarke

Kristen Clarke is an American lawyer who is President of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. She previously headed the Civil Rights bureau of Eric Schneiderman. In 2019 Clarke successfully represented Taylor Dumpson, the first African-American woman student body President of American University, in her landmark case against white supremacists.

For Canadian curler, see Kristin Clarke.
Kristen Clarke
Clarke speaks at New America in 2009
Alma materHarvard University (BA)
Columbia University (JD)
EmployerLawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division

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 organisation that looks to support students of colour 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's degree at Harvard University, where she was involved with initiatives to support and champion African-American students, and graduated in 1997.[5] She moved to Columbia University for her graduate studies, where she completed a Juris Doctor in 2000.[6] 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][7]

Career

In 2006 Clarke joined the NAACP, where she led the political participation group in the Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Her work at the NAACP focussed on election law reform.[8] 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.[9][10]

In 2015 Clarke was appointed president and Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.[7][9] One of her first roles was leading Election Protection, a voter protection coalition which looks to ensure all American voters have access to the ballot box.[1] She became well known for her work combating the discrimination faced by marginalised communities.[7]

In 2019 Clarke represented Taylor Dumpson, the first African-American woman student body President of American University, in her lawsuit against white supremacists.[11] The day after Dumpson was inaugurated as president, neo-Nazi Andrew Anglin coordinated a series of hate crimes on campus, including hanging nooses with bananas tied to them around campus.[11] He then directed his followers to harass her on social media, a so-called "troll storm".[12] Clarke successfully fought for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to recognise that hateful online trolling can interfere with access to public accommodation, as well as securing damages and a restraining order.[11]

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.[13] In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, Kristen 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.[14]

Awards and honours

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. ISBN 978-1-4039-7779-3. Retrieved 2020-07-20.

References
  1. 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. 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.
  3. "Prep for Prep | Social Justice & Social Impact". www.prepforprep.org. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  4. "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. "Black Law Students Association Honors Maya Wiley '89 at Annual Paul Robeson Gala". www.law.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  7. "Kristen Clarke". Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  8. "Kristen Clarke". Source of the Week. 2017-08-18. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  9. "Isaacson Miller Results Details". www.imsearch.com. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  10. "Biography: Kristen Clarke | Howard University School of Law". www2.law.howard.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  11. Augustin, Stanley (2019-08-09). "National Civil Rights Organization Wins Lawsuit Against Daily Stormer and White Supremacists Engaging in Online Threats and Harassment". Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  12. "Intercom - Civil Rights Attorney Kristen Clarke to Speak on the Rise of Hate Crimes". www.ithaca.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  13. Bean, Mackenzie. "COVID-19 may disproportionately affect black Americans". www.beckershospitalreview.com. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  14. "'A Perfect Storm': Kristen Clarke on the National Protests Ripping Across the Nation". NBC New York. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  15. "National Bar Association "40 under 40 Best Advocates" sponsor brochure for 2016". Issuu. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  16. "American Law Journal :: Kristen Clarke ~ Lawyers' Committee For Civil Rights". lawjournaltv.com. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  17. "2015 NYLJ Rising Stars 061615". na.eventscloud.com. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  18. "Kristen Clarke, Hamden's Marcus McCraven Receive Quinnipiac BLSA Awards". Hamden, CT Patch. 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  19. "Louis L. Redding Gala". delawarebarristers. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  20. "The Root 100 - The Most Influential African Americans In 2019". The Root. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
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