Interfaith Sign-on Letter in Support of Kristen Clarke

March 12, 2021
United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
224 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Durbin, Ranking Member Grassley, and Committee Members:

On behalf of the 102 undersigned interfaith and community-based organizations, we write to express our strong support of Kristen Clarke for Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the US Department of Justice (DOJ).

As the nation’s top law enforcement agency, DOJ serves as an entity for advancing fair and impartial justice for everyone and a backstop for our fundamental civil rights. Therefore, it is critical that DOJ is comprised of leaders committed to ending discrimination; addressing white supremacy and hate violence; and advancing racial, gender, disability, ethnic, religious, immigrant, and LGBTQ justice. This is particularly true at a time when our country is grappling with the dangerous consequences caused by bigotry and discrimination stoked under the previous administration. The hateful rhetoric has infiltrated our discourse, social media, communities, and even Congress. Now, more than ever before, our elected and appointed leaders must be committed to a nation that is just and equitable for all people. We believe there is no better candidate to lead DOJ’s Civil Rights Division than Kristen Clarke.

Clarke has spent her entire career dedicated to the pursuit of equal justice and civil rights. She is a deeply qualified and passionate civil rights leader with an unparalleled depth and breadth of experience and is the leader our country needs in this vital role right now.

At the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Clarke has worked to promote fair housing and community development, economic justice, voting rights, equal educational opportunity, criminal justice, judicial diversity, and beyond. While Clarke served as its head, Lawyers Committee launched the Stop Hate Project specifically focused on combating hate and responding to hate crimes against communities including Muslims, Jews, immigrants, and others. Clarke formerly served as the head of the Civil Rights Bureau for the New York State Attorney General’s Office, where she led broad civil rights enforcement, including on issues of criminal justice, education and housing discrimination, fair lending, barriers to reentry, voting rights, immigrants’ rights, gender inequality, disability rights, reproductive access, and LGBTQ equality. Under her leadership, the Bureau secured landmark agreements with banks to address unlawful redlining, employers to address barriers to reentry for people with criminal backgrounds, police departments on reforms to policies and practices, major retailers on racial profiling of consumers, and one of the country’s largest school districts concerning issues relating to the school-to-prison pipeline.

At the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), Clarke led the organization’s work in the areas of voting rights and election law. Prior to joining LDF, she worked in the very office she has now been nominated to lead. She served as a federal prosecutor in the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division, handling police misconduct, police brutality, hate crimes, and human trafficking cases. Clarke also worked on voting rights and redistricting cases through the Division’s Voting Section. Consistent throughout her distinguished career is a focus on strengthening democracy and ensuring justice.

We have no doubt that Kristen Clarke is the right person to ensure the safety of our communities and strengthen our civil rights protections as head of the Civil Rights Division. Given her life’s work, Kristen Clarke will restore integrity, independence, and the pursuit of justice to this critical federal agency. We urge the Senate Judiciary Committee to quickly confirm Kristen Clarke as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.

Sincerely,
National:
African American Ministers In Action
ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal
Ameinu
America Indivisible
American Friends Service Committee
American Jewish Congress
American Muslim Institution
Americans United for Separation of Church & State
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
Anti-Defamation League
Arab American Institute
Avodah
Bend the Arc Jewish Action
Catholics for Choice
Emgage Action
Freethought Society
ICNA Council for Social Justice
In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda
Interfaith Voices for Reproductive Justice
Islamic Networks Group
Ismailis Rise Up
Jewish Democratic Council of America
Jewish Women International
Jewish World Watch
Keshet
Lady Liberty League
Many Voices
Muslim Advocates
Muslim Public Affairs Council
Muslims for Progressive Values
National Action Network
National Council of Jewish Women
National Religious Campaign Against Torture
North American Islamic Foundation, Inc.
Pax Christi USA
Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s Clergy Advocacy Board
Reconstructing Judaism
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
SisterReach
Sojourners
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
The Sikh Coalition
The Workers Circle
Uri L’Tzedek
Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual (WATER)

State:
Carolina Jews for Justice
Faith Commons
Indiana Muslim Advocacy Network
Jewish Community Action
Muslim Alliance of Indiana
National Council of Jewish Women Arizona
National Council of Jewish Women Colorado
National Council of Jewish Women Florida
National Council of Jewish Women Georgia
National Council of Jewish Women Illinois
National Council of Jewish Women Kentucky
National Council of Jewish Women Minnesota
National Council of Jewish Women Maryland
National Council of Jewish Women Massachusetts
National Council of Jewish Women Michigan
National Council of Jewish Women Northern Virginia
National Council of Jewish Women Tennessee
National Council of Jewish Women Texas
National Council of Jewish Women Washington
New Jersey Jewish Labor Committee
New York Jewish Agenda

Local:
A Just Harvest
Bend the Arc: Pittsburgh
Darul Arqum Islamic Center
Greater Bethesda MBC

IKAR
Islamic Society of Tulsa
Jewish Democratic Women’s Salon Atlanta
Jewish Silicon Valley
Kesher Pittsburgh
McCormick Theological Seminary
Minnesota Deaf Muslim Community
Muslim Community Center
National Council of Jewish Women Atlanta (GA) Section
National Council of Jewish Women Austin (TX) Section
National Council of Jewish Women Bergen County (NJ) Section
National Council of Jewish Women Chicago North Shore (IL) Section
National Council of Jewish Women Cleveland (OH) Section
National Council of Jewish Women Essex County (NJ) Section
National Council of Jewish Women Greater Dallas (TX) Section
National Council of Jewish Women Houston (TX) Section
National Council of Jewish Women Kendall (FL) Section
National Council of Jewish Women Lakeville (FL) Section
National Council of Jewish Women Greater Long Beach (CA) Section
National Council of Jewish Women Louisville (KY) Section
National Council of Jewish Women Greater Miami (FL) Section
National Council of Jewish Women Milwaukee (WI) Section
National Council of Jewish Women Palm Beach (FL) Section
National Council of Jewish Women Peninsula (NY) Section
National Council of Jewish Women Greater Philadelphia (PA) Section
National Council of Jewish Women San Antonio (TX) Section
National Council of Jewish Women Saddleback (CA) Section
National Council of Jewish Women Sarasota-Manatee (FL) Section
National Council of Jewish Women SE Atlantic (F) Section
National Council of Jewish Women Valencia Shores (FL) Section
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