TheGrio’s “Running Black” election series profiles Black candidates running for office in the 2024 elections. If successful, each candidate profiled could make history in their state. Hear from them in their own words about what’s at stake in their races, for the country, and for Black and brown communities on the political margin.
Nick Brown has the kind of resume that almost seems destined for politics. The Morehouse College and Harvard Law School graduate served in the U.S. Army, worked as a federal prosecutor, and served as general counsel for Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
Brown, 46, is now hoping his years of public service and legal experience can serve him well as the state’s next attorney general. If his bid for office is successful, he would become the first Black person to occupy an executive office in Washington state’s history.
“We are historically a very white city and state, and certainly our politics has been dominated by white folks,” said Brown, who grew up in Seattle. He told theGrio, “I love the idea of making history. Not just to be the first but to bring perspective as a Black man to the office to try to improve the way that we do justice in this state.”
Though the solidly blue state of Washington doesn’t have a large Black population (less than 5%), the Democratic candidate noted that the state is particularly diverse when you include its Hispanic, Asian, Indian, and Native American communities. Despite its diversity, however, Washington has historically dealt with the same issues many other states experience regarding racial inequality and criminal justice.
“We’ve got a long way … to fully be inclusive and to fully include people’s voices and to make sure we’re not ignoring people that have been ignored for generations,” said Brown, whom President Joe Biden appointed as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington in 2021.
The father of two and proud “soccer dad”…
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