Eric Holder Becomes First African American U.S. Attorney General

Eric Holder was confirmed as the first African American Attorney General of the United States on Monday after a vote of 75-21 in the United States Senate.

The Human Rights Campaign sent out an announcement about the landmark event:

Eric Holder has long been a voice for fairness and equality for all Americans, including LGBT citizens. The Department of Justice will now be led by an Attorney General dedicated to civil rights, protecting communities from hate violence and the fair and equal application of our laws. We were proud to join our allies in the civil rights community to support his confirmation

As did the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People:

“Our nation, and especially our racial and ethnic minority citizens, are clearly facing a crisis in confidence that the U.S. Department of Justice has become dysfunctional and is not a true defender of our rights,” said NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. “Eric Holder is the right person at this time to rebuild not only the department, but also our country’s reputation as a defender of the rights of all Americans. He is the best qualified candidate to help the U.S. Department of Justice reinvigorate itself and regain its rightful place as our country’s enforcer of our civil rights, voting rights, employment rights and housing rights laws. There is no doubt in my mind that he will lead the U.S. Department of Justice, and the United States, with an integrity and strength that is sorely needed at this time.”

The NAACP is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The picture at the top of this post was taken by my friend Jasper Hendricks from the National Black Justice Coalition who attended a meeting with the new Attorney General on his very first day in office.