National

Few Blacks Elected State Prosecutors

Published

11 years ago

July 15, 2015

Oakland Post

R. Seth Williams, Philadelphia prosecutor

By Jazelle Hunt
NNPA Washington Correspondent

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – Of the 46 states that elect prosecutors, more than half – 27 – have no known African Americans, according to a report by the Women Donors Network, an organization of progressive women philanthropists and advocates, which examined the demographics of state prosecutors who had been elected into their positions as of summer 2014.

“The whole thing honestly is so shocking,” says Brenda Choresi Carter, director of the Reflective Democracy Campaign. “Just the stunning absence of Black prosecutors even in states where we know there is a historic and well-developed Black electorate…came as a surprise.”

The study, which is part of the organization’s Reflective Democracy Campaign, was unable to verify the race and gender of 165 elected state prosecutors. White people account for 95 percent of the verified ranks (79 men, 16 percent women). In some states, including Tennessee and Washington, there are no elected prosecutors of color.

State prosecutors’ offices investigate crimes and are the highest criminal prosecutors in their cities, counties, or other municipalities. They are often the ultimate decision-makers in a wide range of criminal proceedings, from charges, to sentencing, to appeals and parole.

Compounding the problem is that the legal profession is one of the least diverse professions in the U.S. Whites are 88.1 percent of all lawyers, compared to 4.8 percent who are Black, 3.7 percent Latino and 3.4 percent Asians. Seventy percent are males. By comparison, Whites are 81 percent of architects and engineers and 72 percent of physicians and surgeons.

“The irony of the prosecutor is that in many ways they have more direct power over people’s lives than most other elected offices. All the points along the process of pursing a [criminal] case…are subject to a prosecutor’s own individual discretion,” Carter says.

“If these [powers] are concentrated in the hands of a demographic group that does not have the experience being a person of color in America, or a woman…it’s difficult to see how they would understand the full range of the impact of their decisions.”

Nobody has to explain that to Philadelphia’s R. Seth Williams, who became the first Black elected district attorney in the state of Pennsylvania in 2009. It’s an unusual position for a Black man, but one he says more people of color should consider.

“People think if you are a member of a minority group you should be a defense attorney, but as a state prosecutor I have much more power than a defense attorney,” he explained.

“I can not charge [someone] or not pursue the death penalty, I can get drug programs started for those who need it, I can create veteran offenders programs…. A district attorney has the power and discretion to do the right thing.”

Williams is one of just 62 Black elected state prosecutors across the country, out of 2,444 total – less than 3 percent.

One of Williams’ proudest, and most controversial actions was becoming the first D.A. in the country to successfully prosecute a Catholic clergy member in connection to the sex abuse scandal. He has also prosecuted white-collar criminals, and has reduced the number of criminal charges filed in small drug-related cases. His goal is to be smart on crime, not just tough – even if it means ruffling feathers.

“I wanted to show that we’d apply the same standard of justice to everyone, regardless of your last name, who your father is, the zip code you live in, or what your race is,” he says, adding that his office pursued people from all walks of life, “not just going after the corner boys for selling bags of weed.”

While most state prosecutors are hired or appointed, the Women Donors Network study focused on those elected because they theoretically represent voters. In these cases, aspiring prosecutors must run a political campaign; but the study points out that 85 percent of incumbent prosecutors run unopposed for their reelections. Carter says a lack of financial, social, and political access perpetuate an “old boys’ club” in government.

“There is a real issue with the fact of access to the ballot…. There are people who will never even run for office, or be in state government, or be a state judge because they cant afford it, not because they aren’t good or don’t have brilliant ideas. They don’t have access to the money, the donors, the ballot the same way others do,” she explained.

“What we see in elected offices overall is that it’s a pretty closed system. What we see with prosecutors is all of that plus more.”

Williams agrees.

“We need many more concerned, caring, empathetic, outstanding attorneys to become state prosecutors. We also need people who better reflect the communities we serve, to become prosecutors.”

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Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

Published

2 days ago

July 5, 2026

Oakland Post

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NPRC Joins National Grand Jury Proceedings Seeking Accountability, Constitutional Restoration

Organizers state that testimony will explore historical and political developments that they believe have contributed to the expansion of corporate influence over public institutions and governmental decision-making. Participants are expected to discuss concerns regarding constitutional governance, individual liberties, property rights, and the protection of vulnerable populations, including seniors and persons with disabilities.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Photo by Billie Powers.

Special to The Post

The National Probate Reform Coalition (NPRC) has joined Toll and Roll and a growing coalition of advocacy organizations, victims, whistleblowers, and citizen groups in support of a nationally broadcast People’s Grand Jury proceeding scheduled for July 1 and July 7.

Organizers describe the event as a public forum designed to examine allegations of government abuse, judicial misconduct, legislative failures, and the erosion of constitutional protections affecting millions of Americans.

The proceedings will feature testimony from victims, families, advocates, and organizations from across the country who contend they have experienced harm through government actions, institutional neglect, and failures of oversight.

According to organizers, the People’s Grand Jury will focus on concerns involving probate courts, guardianships, conservatorships, child welfare systems, property rights, civil liberties, and what participants view as a growing disconnect between government institutions and the constitutional rights of the people they are sworn to serve.

NPRC is participating because many of the issues being examined mirror the concerns raised by advocates, victims, and families who have participated in its monthly town halls. For years, families have reported cases involving exploitation of elders, questionable guardianships, estate depletion, denial of due process, and a lack of meaningful oversight within probate court systems.

“This proceeding gives victims and advocates an opportunity to place their experiences on the public record,” said Tanya Dennis, lead facilitator of NPRC. “For too long, families have struggled to have their voices heard regarding elder abuse, probate exploitation, and government inaction. This forum allows those stories to be shared before a national audience.”

In keeping with principles of transparency and fairness, invitations have been extended to legislators, members of the judiciary, law enforcement representatives, and other public officials who may wish to respond to concerns raised during the proceedings or defend actions taken by their respective institutions.

One of the primary outcomes sought by organizers is public consideration and support for the People’s Remedy and Restoration Act, a proposed legislative framework that advocates believe would strengthen oversight, increase accountability, provide remedies for victims of governmental abuse, and restore constitutional protections.

The proceedings are expected to be broadcast nationally, providing citizens throughout the United States an opportunity to observe testimony, review evidence presented, and participate in an ongoing conversation regarding government accountability and the protection of individual rights.

Advocates hope the hearings will encourage meaningful dialogue, legislative reform, and renewed public engagement in the democratic process.

Individuals, organizations, public officials, and members of the media interested in attending or obtaining access information may contact the organizers at tollandroll2025@gmail.com.

As Americans continue to debate the future of constitutional governance, judicial accountability, and the protection of vulnerable citizens, the July proceedings are expected to serve as a significant forum for public testimony and civic engagement. For more information, go to https://tollandroll.com

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50 Years Later, ‘Wake Up Everybody!’ Still Resonates During Black Music

The words of the song, “Wake Up Everybody,” debuted by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes in 1975, still resonate today as those words are just as relevant more than a half century later.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

iStockphoto.

By Hazel Trice Edney, Special to The Post

Hazel Trice Edney

“Wake up, everybody, No more sleepin’ in bed

No more backward thinkin’. Time for thinkin’ ahead

The world has changed so very much from what it used to be.

There is so much hatred, war, and poverty.

“The world won’t get no better If we just let it be.

Naw, naw, naw, naw, naw, naw, naw.

The world won’t get no better. We gotta change it, yeah– just you and me.”

The words of the song, “Wake Up Everybody,” debuted by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes in 1975, still resonate today as those words are just as relevant more than a half century later.

In a rare, nearly somber moment, the group’s celebrated lead singer, Teddy Pendergrass, introduced the song on Soul Train, the weekly dance and live performance TV show that aired roughly between 1971 and 2006. Pendergrass told the attentive live audience and thousands watching by television that Wake Up Everybody, the title tune of their most recent album, was intended to inspire people to take action with a goal to change America for the better.

“I’m sure that you will all agree that there are things that need to be done in this country today,” he said. “So, what I’d like for you to do is listen very carefully to see what you can do to lend a hand.”

The song’s appeal worked.

“I played that song over and over and over again because it was a constant warning to keep ourselves prepared for the society that we were living in,” says A. Peter Bailey, then a 37-year-old former aide to Malcolm X.

When “Wake Up Everybody” hit the airwaves, Bailey was working as an associate editor of Ebony Magazine. “It was a call to be aware of what we were dealing with in the country that we lived in, the world we lived in, the neighborhood we lived in, the cities that we lived in,” Bailey said in an interview with the Trice Edney News Wire.

He concluded that during Black Music Month 2026, such songs should be recalled and celebrated as a key to changes for the good across America; especially because such songs successfully encouraged people to deal with the issues that might otherwise denigrate the promises of America, including the promise that “All men are created equal,”as stated in the Declaration of Independence.

“The rhythms and blues expressed our joys, our sorrows and our fears,” Bailey recalls. “It was those songs and the singing of those songs by our people that attracted us to the campaigns for justice.”

With his life inspired by that song and others, Bailey, now 88, went on to establish and teach a Black Press class at Virginia Commonwealth University. Also, he has since written three books, including a memoir, “Witnessing Brother Malcolm X, the Master Teacher,” in which he expounded upon successful principles of social justice, some of which are reflected in “Wake Up Everybody.”

Long before the term “woke” became associated with campaigns for justice, Pendergrass led the song that reverberated across America and still holds deep meaning.

The ‘wake up’ call exhorts teachers to ‘teach a new way,’ doctors to heal elders, and builders to ‘build a new land… we can do it if we all lend a hand.”

The song concludes:

“The world won’t get no better if we just let it be. Naw, naw, naw, naw, naw, naw, naw. The world won’t get no better. We gotta change it, yeah – just you and me.”

Hazel Trice Edney wrote this story as part of a four-part series powered by AARP in commemoration of Black Music Month, June 2026.