NBC10 Boston caught up with Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell after her first year in office.
Becoming the first Black woman to win a statewide election in 2022, Campbell was sworn in Jan. 18, 2023.
“It really hit me when I came in as AG-elect and saw the wall,” Campbell said. “We go really far back, centuries of white men who held this position.”
Campbell recently filed a lawsuit against a white nationalist group, accusing it and two of its leaders of engaging “in violent, threatening, and intimidating conduct that violated state civil rights laws and unlawfully interfered with public safety.”
In the interview, Campbell touched on the role of an attorney general in combatting hate.
“The very things we take for granted for a civilized society, the divisiveness we’re seeing in this country, the uptick in hate and white supremacy, everything having to do with affordability,” she said. “There is a central and significant role this office plays in addressing all of that. That is very distinct and unique.”
The attorney general said her top priorities right now relate to the affordability of everything from housing and utilities to health care.
Campbell also talked about her approach to work.
“Everyone should take a break in the middle of the day — get away from a desk if you can,” she said. “Turn your brain off for a moment, you’re more productive in the latter part of the day. Exercise, we know, is good for the mental health.”
Watch the full interview with Campbell in the above video.
