Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke delivered remarks at the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference on September 13, 2024. In her address, Clarke emphasized the Justice Department's commitment to addressing critical issues affecting Black men and boys in the United States.
Clarke, who serves as both Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department and a commissioner on the U.S. Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys, highlighted her personal background as "the daughter of Jamaican immigrants" raised in Brooklyn, New York. She noted that she is "the first woman and the first Black woman confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead the division."
During her speech, Clarke focused on conditions within jails and prisons, particularly those affecting Black and brown individuals. She referenced a recent investigation into the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, which revealed significant shortcomings in safety, medical care, and educational services for an 80% Black or Latinx population. The report detailed several incidents of abuse and neglect, including a case where staff slammed a boy’s head into a brick pillar, rendering him unconscious.
"We are focused on instituting reform," Clarke stated. These reforms include limiting use of force, implementing positive behavior management systems, reducing isolation periods for children, supervising common areas to prevent sexual abuse, addressing mental health needs, and assisting students with special needs.
Clarke also mentioned ongoing investigations in Kentucky and other states like South Carolina and Connecticut to review conditions at youth detention centers. She affirmed that efforts would continue to ensure constitutional conditions in adult detention facilities as well.
In response to high-profile cases involving police misconduct following George Floyd's death in May 2020 and Breonna Taylor's death in March 2020, Clarke reported that since 2021 over 220 defendants have been prosecuted with more than 170 convictions secured. This includes officers involved in these cases as well as those known as “Goon Squad” from Rankin County, Mississippi.
The fight against hate crimes was another focal point of Clarke's remarks. Since January 2021 over 120 defendants have been charged across more than 110 cases involving racially motivated violence including Ahmaud Arbery’s killers; perpetrators behind mass shootings targeting Black individuals; and assailants responsible for killing Dime Doe—a Black transgender woman.
Additionally addressing white supremacist violence threats posed by groups like Terrorgram Collective—charged recently for soliciting hate crimes—Clarke stressed how technology evolves but assured that "we are two steps ahead."
Concluding her speech with personal reflections about raising a young Black man today amidst racial tensions she shared an incident from her son's middle school years highlighting ongoing challenges: “We must never normalize police violence or racial violence.”
Clarke reiterated commitment stating: "Our work to protect civil rights is a relay race from generation to generation... this Justice Department will always have your back."