https://www.essence.com/news/letitia-james-history-new-york-first-black-attorney-general

Just weeks after Eric T. Schneiderman resigned after being accused of physically abusing several women, Letitia “Tish” James has thrown her hat into the ring to become New York’s first Black female attorney general.

“New Yorkers deserve an attorney general who is unwavering in her fight to uphold and defend their most basic rights,” James said in a speech announcing her candidacy.

“I will fight tooth and nail every step of the way to defend the rights of every New Yorker, from Buffalo to Hudson Valley to Long Island to New York City, and to every place in between. I will take on special interests who seek to destroy our families and our communities,” she continued.

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James, who is currently the public advocate for the City of New York, became the first Black woman to win a city-wide office in the Big Apple, and she’s seeking to make history again.

Though she is currently the front-runner, the 59-year-old is in for a fight. Though she’s definitely ahead of the pack. “James is formidable — if not quite unbeatable,” writer David Freedlander wrote in a recent New York magazine story. “She has only $30,000 on hand after spending close to $1.7 million in her 2017 re-election with only token opposition.”

James’ candidacy is just another example of the growing number of Black women seeking higher office. From Stacey Abrams in Georgia to the dozens of Black women running in Alabama, sisters across the country are not only hitting voting booths, but they’re also campaigning for a seat at the table, too. 

James hopes she’ll be up next.

Dubbed “the people’s lawyer,” James has promised to take on everyone from Wall Street to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials who target undocumented immigrants. “For those of you who know me, you know that I am not about privilege or politics. I’m about people,” she said. “I won’t stop working for you.”