1 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:07,880 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie and Samantha and welcome to Stephan 2 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: Never told you, but actually I hire radio. Yes, and 3 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:24,160 Speaker 1: welcome to another episode of Women Around the World. Welcome, 4 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:29,720 Speaker 1: thank you, Thank you. Samantha. Are you excited. I'm always 5 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:33,559 Speaker 1: excited when I get to talk to you lies, But 6 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: I'll take them. Yes, I think you should. I'll take it. Well. 7 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:42,279 Speaker 1: Just in recent news, as of yesterday, Venita Kupta has 8 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:45,800 Speaker 1: just been confirmed as the Associate Attorney General to the 9 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 1: Civil Rights Division under the Justice Department and has become 10 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:51,800 Speaker 1: the first woman of color to be appointed. So the 11 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 1: first and foremost congratulations two Attorney Gupta. Yeah, I love that. 12 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: So I wanted to bring that to the first I've 13 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: had because today we are going to talk about someone 14 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:10,720 Speaker 1: who was also on the confirmation list, which is Kristen Clark. 15 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 1: And today, again, as we are looking at what is 16 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:15,720 Speaker 1: happening in the US, we didn't want to bring it 17 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 1: back because there's some significant things happening for our country. 18 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:21,680 Speaker 1: We are going to time stamp with this because, as 19 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 1: you know and most of our listeners know, things get 20 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:28,840 Speaker 1: outdated very quickly, very very quickly. But just go ahead 21 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:31,679 Speaker 1: and put this out there. Today is four twenty two, 22 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 1: and we wanted to highlight what is happening. Um, And yes, 23 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:38,200 Speaker 1: Kristin Clark would be the first black woman to be 24 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 1: appointed to be the Assistant General Attorney of the Department 25 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:45,000 Speaker 1: of Justice Civil Rights Division, So we were excited to 26 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 1: talk a little bit about her. So let's start, yeah, um, 27 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 1: and just a quick history on the Civil Rights Division. 28 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 1: The division was created in seven as a part of 29 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: the Civil Rights Act, and according to the d o 30 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 1: J site, it was enacted to quote uphold the civil 31 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 1: and cross judicial rights of all Americans, particularly some of 32 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: the most vulnerable members of our society. The Division enforces 33 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:09,799 Speaker 1: federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, 34 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 1: including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity, disability, religion, familial status, 35 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:20,240 Speaker 1: national origin, and citizenship status. Right. So, the first person 36 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:22,239 Speaker 1: of color to be named head of the division was 37 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 1: Assistant Attorney General Drew Days. He was appointed to this 38 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:28,640 Speaker 1: role in nineteen seventy seven during the Carter administration and 39 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 1: he served this role for three years, which, by the way, 40 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy seven seems really late in the game when 41 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:37,079 Speaker 1: it was twenty years after the beginning of the division, 42 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: But that's just me. Unsurprisingly, Clark's nomination has been a 43 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 1: hotly contended one. Many other Republican senators fear that she 44 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: would be too motivated by her politics to fairly represent 45 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 1: on a nonpartisan level as an quote enforcer of civil rights, 46 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 1: specifically on issues like voting rights or religious liberty and policing. 47 00:02:56,480 --> 00:03:00,400 Speaker 1: Clark's career is a long path and along history of 48 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:02,960 Speaker 1: her fight in the U S specific to civil rights. 49 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:06,079 Speaker 1: After graduating from law school, Clark became a trial attorney 50 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:08,839 Speaker 1: for the dj Civil Rights Division. As a federal prosecutor, 51 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:12,640 Speaker 1: working on cases concerned with voting rights, human trafficking, police brutality, 52 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:16,079 Speaker 1: and hate crimes. She was appointed to the Civil Rights 53 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 1: Bureau as the director by the Attorney General of New York, 54 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:22,360 Speaker 1: Eric Schneiderman. There, she worked to combat criminal justice issues 55 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 1: and housing discrimination. She became the executive director of the 56 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:30,360 Speaker 1: Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights under Law. She worked with 57 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:33,919 Speaker 1: the organization to combat discrimination against the marginalized community, including 58 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: working for voters rights. Yeah, and when it comes to 59 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: voting rights, it's a huge issue right now, and there's 60 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 1: definitely a lot of conversation as in fact, that was 61 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 1: a hearing just this week, which Stacy Abrams was a 62 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 1: part of just recently, if you've seen the video in 63 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:51,520 Speaker 1: which uh one of the Republican senators tad I guess 64 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: zing Abrams by saying, well, you never really told us 65 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,200 Speaker 1: what's wrong on the Georgia voting law that you don't 66 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 1: like is so she started listening it to the point 67 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:03,960 Speaker 1: he's like, okay, okay, okay. He really thought he had her. 68 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:07,480 Speaker 1: But as we know, this is becoming a really big conversation, 69 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:11,360 Speaker 1: and we've been talking about the Voting Rights Act specifically 70 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:14,040 Speaker 1: after when John Lewis had passed away. That was one 71 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: of his big stances, and so of course this is 72 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:21,039 Speaker 1: coming into conversation, and as Representative Ted Crew stated was 73 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:24,679 Speaker 1: an issue, it's something she has been working to protect 74 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:28,159 Speaker 1: throughout her career. She handled the argument in the Shelby County, 75 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:31,279 Speaker 1: Alabama versus Holder case, which is in regards to the 76 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:35,039 Speaker 1: nine Voting Rights Act. She's an advocate for the John 77 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: Lewis Voting Rights Investment Act and was involved in the 78 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:41,400 Speaker 1: recent suing of the USPS delay of absentee balance. So 79 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 1: it's pretty significant And just some personal information about her, 80 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 1: She's the daughter of Jamaican immigrants who moved to Brooklyn, 81 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 1: and she went to Choate Rosemary Hall, where, by the way, 82 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:55,160 Speaker 1: she became the only girl of a all boys wrestling squad. 83 00:04:55,240 --> 00:04:58,680 Speaker 1: So good to bad. She got her bachelors from Harvard 84 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:00,360 Speaker 1: and then went to get her jurors doct it from 85 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 1: Columbia Law School. She is currently going through her confirmation 86 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: process in front of the Senate, and she, as well 87 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:10,000 Speaker 1: as appoint to Evenita Gupta, have gone through meticulous questioning 88 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 1: by the Senate, and as one report states, they quote 89 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:17,200 Speaker 1: have drawn unusually bitter criticisms from Republicans and conservative groups 90 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:19,800 Speaker 1: before their confirmation hearings, and it does seem that they 91 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:22,320 Speaker 1: have been facing more critiques in opposition than even the 92 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:26,960 Speaker 1: newly appointed Attorney General Merrick Garland. With continued issues of 93 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 1: police brutality, voting suppression, overall increase of hate crimes. Fighting 94 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:34,279 Speaker 1: to have the right person to lead divisions like these 95 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:38,400 Speaker 1: is a really great responsibility, and we will of course 96 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:42,080 Speaker 1: continue to watches the different hearings are unfolding right and 97 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:45,679 Speaker 1: when she was originally nominated by President Biden, Clark stated quote, 98 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: if I am fortunate enough to be confirmed, we will 99 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:50,040 Speaker 1: turn the page on hate and close the door on 100 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:54,640 Speaker 1: discrimination by enforcing our federal civil rights laws. And I'd 101 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:57,080 Speaker 1: find it really interesting that people are so opposed to her. 102 00:05:57,080 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 1: And I get why. I get why. I mean, people 103 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: are scared of people who take action in general, and 104 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 1: since this whole go back and forth about the Voting 105 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:07,400 Speaker 1: Rights Act, but I find it interesting that someone who 106 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:12,560 Speaker 1: has specialized her career on this is being so disagreed 107 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:15,719 Speaker 1: upon because they're afraid of the change that she may make, 108 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:19,240 Speaker 1: which maybe that's just me. And then, when asked about 109 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 1: her career and why she does what she does, Clark stated, quote, 110 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:24,160 Speaker 1: I do this work with my son in mind. Often 111 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:26,359 Speaker 1: I think about him as a young black team in 112 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:28,400 Speaker 1: the future that lies for him, and I think that's 113 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:31,800 Speaker 1: a powerful idea and I would hope that would be 114 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:34,360 Speaker 1: a motivation for so many people in general to think 115 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:36,840 Speaker 1: about what's happening in the future and what is going 116 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:41,160 Speaker 1: to be best for the people they love. And because 117 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:43,560 Speaker 1: we love talking about a woman's success, Clark has been 118 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 1: the recipient of the Columbia Law School Paul Robes the 119 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:50,839 Speaker 1: Distinguished Alumni Award, Quinnipiac University School of Law, thir Good 120 00:06:50,839 --> 00:06:54,640 Speaker 1: Martial Award, National Association of Attorney's General Best Brief Award 121 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: and the Lewis l Reading a Lifetime Achievement Awards. So 122 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 1: I got some accolades. She's got many awards, and I'm 123 00:07:02,279 --> 00:07:05,719 Speaker 1: assuming she's gonna get many more with the continued work 124 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:07,800 Speaker 1: that she has been doing. And yes, and again we 125 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 1: want to congratulate Fernina Gupta on her confirmation and I 126 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:14,360 Speaker 1: am I am excited to see what's happening. We know 127 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: there's a lot of contention happening, specifically with the Chauvin 128 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:22,440 Speaker 1: case verdict being read this week and specifically with the 129 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:26,120 Speaker 1: continued shootings that we've seen amongst the black community as 130 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 1: they are being shot by police. Uh and about what 131 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:33,720 Speaker 1: it means to have reformation and what that looks like 132 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:37,480 Speaker 1: in the future, as well as talking about voting rights. 133 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:41,320 Speaker 1: Like she is being watched. We are watching very closely, 134 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:44,200 Speaker 1: and I say we in general the US are watching 135 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 1: because there's been so many disruptions as well as disagreements 136 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:51,920 Speaker 1: about what needs to happen in the future and obviously 137 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:56,760 Speaker 1: undoing things from the previous administration has been closely watched. 138 00:07:57,080 --> 00:07:59,080 Speaker 1: So it will be interesting to see how this will 139 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:02,400 Speaker 1: affect the future. And I'm excited. I'm excited to finally 140 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:04,680 Speaker 1: see a woman of color as a part of this 141 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:07,400 Speaker 1: division as it should have been. I feel like everything, 142 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 1: of course when it comes to the United States is wow. 143 00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:13,440 Speaker 1: It took this long. Yeah, and we're here again. But 144 00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:17,280 Speaker 1: at least it is happening. Yeah, and we will keep 145 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:21,960 Speaker 1: an eye on that. And as always, thank you for 146 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:26,200 Speaker 1: bringing this inspiring story to us, Samantha and listeners. If 147 00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:29,160 Speaker 1: you have any suggestions for women we should be covering 148 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 1: in this segment, please send them our way. You can 149 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:35,199 Speaker 1: email us at Stuff Media, Mom Stuff at I Hurt 150 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:37,000 Speaker 1: mea dot com. You can find us on Instagram at 151 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 1: Stuff I've Never Told You or on Twitter at Moms 152 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:41,640 Speaker 1: of Podcast. Thanks as always to our super producer Christina. 153 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:44,319 Speaker 1: Thank you, Christina, and thanks to you for listening so 154 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:46,280 Speaker 1: I find over Told production of I Hart Radio. For 155 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 1: more podcast from I Heart Radio is the Hear Radio app, 156 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:50,920 Speaker 1: Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.