Earlier this month, Darcel D. Clark was sworn in as the Bronx District Attorney making history at the same time. Clark is the first Black female District Attorney in the history of New York State, fulfilling a dream she had as a little girl growing up in the borough she now presides over.
Clark, who calls herself of a “daughter” of the Bronx, was the first of her family members to attend college. She received her B.A. From Boston College and earned her J.D. From the Howard University School of Law. Raised in the Soundview Houses and still a resident of the borough, Clark has worked in varying capacities as a top law official in New York.
Clark worked 13 years as a trial judge in the Criminal and Supreme Courts and was then promoted to the Appellate Division in Manhattan in 2012. Clark has a reputation of being a tough but fair judge and vows to continue that pattern as she settles in her new role as D.A. Critics of her nomination saw it as a political move inspired by nepotism, but Clark promises to do her duty without any presumed loyalty to friends she has in the system.
Upholding the law is not just her job, but a hallmark of her family life as well. Clark is married to Eaton “Ray” Davis, a veteran NYPD detective.
Along with Clark’s previously mentioned accomplishments, she has served as a president of the Black Bar Association of Bronx County, and a former president of the National Association of Women Judges. Clark is also the first woman to be elected Bronx District Attorney. Although Eunice Carter preceded Clark as a trailblazing lawyer, Carter was the first Black female Assistant District Attorney in New York State.
Clark says that she hopes to serve as an inspiration to other young girls who dare to dream big like she did.
