Andrea Campbell made history Wednesday, becoming the first black woman to pledge to serve as the state’s chief law enforcement officer. Also a woman.
In a ceremony at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Campbell was officially inaugurated as the 45th Attorney General of the United States.
“My hope is that women and young people who look like me and see the amazing work in this office feel less invisible, more hopeless and less alone every day. “Because there continues to be a bright example of what is possible,” Campbell said. At her inauguration at her Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, she spoke to an audience of about 1,000.
Here are some of the issues Campbell has promised to take on as Attorney General.
- Creation of an Elderly Justice Unit to protect the elderly from hardship and fraud.
- Form the Office of Gun Safety Enforcement.
- Establish a Reproductive Justice Unit to protect reproductive rights.
- Help bring accountability and transparency to correctional institutions and the juvenile justice system.
“You can ensure that the government meets your needs and does it with honesty, empathy and urgency,” Campbell told the crowd. “Governments must remove barriers. , must not stand in the way of progress or justice, and as Attorney General, I will ensure that is done.”
In her campaign, she said she had the right mix of professional and personal experience for the position.
The 40-year-old is a former Boston City Council member and mother of two. She was the first black woman to serve as speaker of the city council, and she could not run for mayor in 2021.
Campbell attended Boston Latin School, Princeton University, and UCLA Law School. She worked as Deputy Counsel to former Governor Deval Patrick.
Campbell has often spoken publicly about traumatic events that she said shaped her life while growing up in Roxbury and Southend.
When she was young, her late father was sentenced to eight years in prison. Her mother died in a car accident on the way to visit him in prison. Campbell and her siblings spent most of their childhood in foster homes and relatives’ homes. Her twin brother died in State Department of Corrections custody ten years ago. Her brother, Alvin Campbell Jr., is in custody on rape charges.
“Because of my faith, I was able to turn great pain into purpose,” Campbell said in his presidential victory speech..
During the campaign, Campbell said he would “look at all issues through the lens of equities.”
Campbell appointed Pat Moore as the first Assistant Attorney General. Moore is a former White House attorney who worked as an attorney for the Massachusetts government. Deval Patrick and Charlie Baker.
