Saunders welcomes Clarke confirmation; says she will bring leadership and integrity to Civil Rights Division

WASHINGTON — AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement regarding the Senate’s vote to confirm Kristen Clarke as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights:

“At a moment in American history when too many people continue to confront systemic discrimination, we need someone leading the Civil Rights Division who has impeccable professional credentials, a deep sense of integrity and an abiding passion for justice. Kristen Clarke is that person.

“Wherever she has been, she has worked to promote fairness and expand opportunity. She has been a champion for some of our most marginalized people. From housing to immigrant rights, from criminal justice to voting rights, Kristen Clarke has demonstrated throughout her career an unfailing commitment to the mission of the agency she will lead and devotion to some of our nation’s most cherished principles.

“As a union with a long history of activism and leadership in the fight for racial justice, AFSCME is deeply invested in the work of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. We congratulate Assistant Attorney General Clarke and look forward to working with her in the years to come.”