Loretta Lynch: The First African American Woman US Attorney General

The Washington Post reports that:

Loretta E. Lynch’s long wait to become U.S. attorney general ended Thursday, with the Senate voting 56 to 43 to confirm the veteran New York prosecutor five months after President Obama submitted her nomination to Congress.

Lynch is expected to be sworn in as the nation’s 83rd attorney general Monday, according to Justice Department officials not authorized to comment publicly.

Obama said in a statement that “America will be better off” with Lynch in charge of the Justice Department. “She will bring to bear her experience as a tough, independent, and well-respected prosecutor on key, bipartisan priorities like criminal justice reform,” he said.

Lynch is the first African American woman to be nominated for the post, which has taken on a higher-than-usual profile in the Obama administration ­because of the leading role the Justice Department has recently played in the debate over race and policing across the country.

A Staten Island police officer choked a black man to death on camera. Yet, there was no indictment. The killer walked free. In another case, according to witnesses, a Ferguson police officer shot and killed an unarmed black teen who had his hands up. Yet, there was no indictment. The killer walked free. A Chicago police officer shot an unarmed black woman in the back of the head. Yet, there was no indictment. The killer walked free. Here, in Baltimore, an unarmed black man's spine was nearly severed while in police custody. The man later died. The officers involved are under investigation. Will they walk free like all of the other police officers?

Obviously, the appointment of an African American woman as U.S. Attorney General is a major symbol of progress in this country. However, at a time when police have a license to kill black people, we need much more than symbols. We need justice. I hope that future Attorney General Lynch truly addresses the problem of police brutality in the black community. Otherwise, her appointment will be absolutely meaningless.