Kristen Clarke is breaking all barriers, becoming the first woman and Black woman to lead the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Senate confirmed on Tuesday. 

Clarke, who is a longtime civil rights attorney, will run the powerful division as the assistant U.S. attorney general, the Los Angeles Times reported. Created in 1957, the Civil Rights Division was formed following the Civil Rights Act enactment of the same year. Clarke will oversee its federal anti-discrimination laws.

The announcement comes on the day of the one-year anniversary of the killing of George Floyd which ignited national calls for racial justice.

Clarke was confirmed in a 51-48 vote, of which every Democrat voted in her favor. Republicans, on the other hand, did not express the same measure of recognition. Each one, except for Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, voted against her, Axios reported. Critics previously said she was too political and overly criticized the Trump Administration.

In 2018, Clarke did detail that the Trump Administration was fueling damaging effects on civil rights. In that memo she discussed how affirmative action, criminal justice and voting and reproductive rights were on the line, as Blavity previously reported.    

Last week, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-IA), said he thought Clarke wasn’t the right person for the job for her stance on partisanship.   

“I don’t think she’s the right person…at this time. A nominee to lead the Civil Rights Division should be nonpartisan, independent and up-front about her beliefs. Unfortunately I think Ms. Clarke misses on all three marks.”   

Sen. Ted Cruz called the pick radical, according to the Los Angeles Times.    

According to Axios, the Republicans’ level of opposition to her even led Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to enact a seldom-used discharge petition procedure to keep her nomination from becoming stalled by the Senate Judiciary Committee.     

However, Clarke was taken in with great support from others. Sherrilyn Ifill, the president and director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund retweeted her own message. 

“When we fight, we win!” her post read.

Schumer, clearly aware of the great measures of Clarke’s new role, emphasized his support in a tweet by calling it an important move.

"NEWS: The Senate just confirmed Kristen Clarke to serve as head of DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. She’s a proven civil rights leader. The daughter of Jamaican immigrants to Brooklyn, she’ll be the first woman and the first Black woman ever confirmed to lead this important office," he said.

Last week, Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill) supported her nomination, saying she is qualified for the role.

“Ms. Clarke is the right person to restore credibility to the Civil Rights Division,” he said. 

Clarke has long advocated for the advancement of legality in civil and racial justice. The first-generation Jamaican American spent 21 years prosecuting cases at the Justice Department where she worked on cases involving voting rights and hate crime, HuffPost reported. Under Eric Schneiderman in 2011, Clarke managed the Civil Rights Bureau of the New York State Attorney General's Office.  

The Harvard University graduate is also the president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. 

Civil Rights DivisionKristen Clarke