Kamala Harris’s journey sheds light on challenges for Black women in prosecutorial roles

September 4, 2024 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

Vice President Kamala Harris, whose rise to political prominence has drawn identity-based attacks, is highlighted in a recent op-ed discussing the challenges faced by Black women prosecutors across the U.S. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP

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In a recent Newsweek op-ed, Chantelle Williams, a policy attorney at the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College, draws attention to the growing hostility faced by Black women in prosecutorial roles, linking these struggles to the treatment of Vice President Kamala Harris.

The op-ed, titled “Black Women Prosecutors Are Under Attack — Just Like Kamala Harris,” explains how Harris’s critics often dismiss her qualifications, much like the increasing attacks against Black female prosecutors.

Williams describes how Harris, since emerging as the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, has faced claims that she is a “DEI hire,” despite her accomplished background as U.S. senator, California attorney general and district attorney of San Francisco.

“These attacks … echo harmful stereotypes used to undermine Black women prosecutors,” writes Williams, arguing that the same identity-based criticism is being used to delegitimize Black women in positions of legal authority.

The op-ed delves into the experiences of several high-profile Black women prosecutors, including Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who have faced threats and racial slurs during their tenure.

“People do not just threaten to remove me; I am going to be raped first and then hung from a tree,” Foxx said during a panel hosted by the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College.

Willis similarly noted that “people … call me the n-word more than they call me Fani” while leading the prosecution of former President Donald Trump in Georgia.

Williams warns that the hostility faced by Black women in these roles not only undermines their authority but also discourages future Black lawyers from pursuing careers in prosecution.

“The relentless hostility and disdain faced by Black women prosecutors will choke off the pipeline to leadership roles,” Williams asserts, pointing to the case of Monique Worrell, the second Black woman elected as state attorney for Florida’s 9th Judicial Circuit, who was suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

In the op-ed, Williams calls on the legal community and media to actively support Black women prosecutors, denouncing the misogynistic and racist rhetoric that has been used to target them.

“If we don’t acknowledge the misogynoir now — and put a stop to these attacks — I fear that there won’t be any Black women prosecutors left,” she concludes.