Readout of Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke’s Trip to Eastern Shore, Maryland

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division traveled to the Eastern Shore of Maryland on April 8 to continue the division’s tour to engage with stakeholders in underserved communities and reaffirm the department’s commitment to protecting the civil rights of all Americans.

In the morning, Assistant Attorney General Clarke met with students and faculty at South Dorchester High School. She spoke about the history of the Justice Department’s founding in 1870 and provided an overview of the division’s recent efforts to enforce federal civil rights laws to ensure law enforcement accountability, combat hate crimes, protect the right to vote, and end modern-day redlining. After her remarks, she fielded questions from the students and faculty about local economic justice issues like homelessness and poverty, and highlighted opportunities to pursue careers in federal government and public service.

Later that morning, Assistant Attorney General Clarke toured the Harriet Tubman Museum. Underground Railroad “conductor” Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross) was born in Dorchester County, Maryland, in 1822. At this museum in downtown Cambridge – just a few miles from where Tubman grew up – dedicated local volunteers work to share Harriet Tubman’s story and preserve her legacy of strength, courage, and determination.

After her visit to the museum, Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland visited North Dorchester High School. There, they met with students to discuss various forms of discrimination and the department’s efforts to protect their civil rights.

Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Barron concluded the trip at the Harriet Tubman Freedom Center for a community meeting with civil rights stakeholders and local leaders, including Cambridge Mayor Stephen Rideout, Cambridge Police Chief Justin Todd, Paul Monteiro Jr., Maryland Secretary of Service & Civic Innovation and NAACP Maryland State President Rev. Kobi Little. During the meeting, Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Barron underscored their commitment to promoting justice and equity across the nine counties of the Eastern Shore, and highlighted the department’s recent efforts to address sexual harassment at a Maryland university, promote policing reform and other efforts including environmental justice, voting rights and more.  In addition, they noted recent FBI data concerning hate crimes in Maryland, and underscored the department’s commitment to addressing hate crimes and hate incidents.

As part of this tour, Assistant Attorney General Clarke has traveled to underserved communities in Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Arkansas and South Carolina to discuss the department’s efforts to protect civil rights.