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The Interview: Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell

From personal trauma to professional triumphs, the Boston native reflects on a life without grudges.


Photo by Cody O’Loughlin

Having been given the middle name Joy, Andrea Campbell emanates a sunny outlook on life—which, for this Boston native, has had more than its fair share of challenges. Before she became Massachusetts’ first woman of color elected to statewide office, Campbell grew up in poverty, raised by relatives and foster parents. Her twin brother died while awaiting trial in state custody, and her other brother is facing rape and kidnapping charges. Yet Campbell, who attended Boston Latin, Princeton, and UCLA for law school, hasn’t let her family’s tragedies slow her down: She beat longtime incumbent Charles Yancey for a City Council seat in 2015 and, after unsuccessfully challenging Michelle Wu in the 2021 mayoral race, was elected AG last November. Campbell took time out of her frenzied schedule to talk about her personal perspective on criminal justice and why her life is akin to a Hollywood action movie.

Why did you want to be attorney general?
To help people, especially folks who feel left out, left behind, marginalized, invisible, oppressed. And, of course, I’m fueled by the inspiration of my twin brother, Andre, who I think fit into those categories.

If your life was a movie, what would it be?

What jumps into my head is a combination of Fences, a movie that speaks to trauma and pain in Black families, with the action-thriller aspect of The Bourne Identity, because of the seeking answers—minus the murdering of people. I’m drama and action all rolled into one. [Laughs.]

So far, what’s been the toughest part of the job?

Maybe time management. It’s such an honor and privilege to have this job, and every day I wake up so enthusiastic to go into an office with a team who can actually deliver results. But I’m a wife and a mother of two boys, as well as leading an incredible organization, so making sure that I’m making time for all of those things is really important.

Coolest perk of the job?

I don’t know if cool is the right word, but I will tell you that it’s been an adjustment that everywhere I go now, I go with a police detail. That took some getting used to.

What’s your favorite memory of Boston Latin?

I have two, and I’m sorry, but I have to share both. In school, math was my favorite subject. Even when I went to Princeton, I started off as a math major. And it was because of one of my teachers, Ms. Wilson. She was one of the few teachers of color who taught math, and she was so passionate about the subject.

She loved us and expected a lot from us. She was a force of nature, with this big hair. Just amazing. The other person, Ms. White, I thought was so sharp. She was the best-dressed teacher, and she just epitomized excellence.

Do you think you’ve had to work harder than a lot of your non-Black peers to get as far as you have?

Absolutely. And through different types of hurdles. Recently, we were talking about criminal legal reform and government accountability, what this office can do with respect to those issues, and one of the other attorneys of color openly shared that she, too, had a loved one who passed away while in the Department of Correction, similar to my twin brother. I remember just stopping for a moment and thinking about how as a Black person, these are familiar stories. You’re never immune to the trauma inflicted by white supremacy, by a government that devalued and enslaved Black people. So you have to push past that, go to school—and sometimes the schools where Black people go are under-resourced and of low quality—and then you have to push to go to college. There are just so many layers, and while I’m extremely humbled and honored to be the first Black woman attorney general and the first woman of color to win a statewide election in Massachusetts, the fact that it took this long tells me that we clearly still have more work to do.

Charles Yancey had 16 terms as a city councilor before you finally beat him. What’s your take on term limits?

I don’t think you should be in a seat forever. The goal is to have an impact in the time you’re afforded but not to overstay. At some point, it’s healthy, just like with corporations or nonprofit boards, to have leadership that changes over time.

Photo by Cody O’Loughlin

Any policy positions that you’ve seriously walked back?

I don’t think so. I lead in such a way that sometimes folks jokingly say I don’t care about the politics; I only care about doing the right thing. I’ve taken positions that don’t always align with the party that I’m affiliated with or won’t get me the most applause.

You had a reversal on supervised injection sites. How do you reconcile that?

I don’t see it as a reversal. I made that decision in the city of Boston, serving only constituents of Boston after thoughtful conversations with those in my district. Then I listened to folks all across the commonwealth, and what came up was, “How are we going to do this statewide?” I’ve said as attorney general that I would not stand in the way of any municipality that, through some thoughtful process with their residents, wanted to take this position. And my job would be to enforce that position.

What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned serving the entire state as opposed to just Boston?

It’s that we’re Boston-centric. I was born and raised in the city of Boston. My father was born and raised in the city of Boston. And, of course, Boston is our capital, but we have western Mass. going all the way out to Berkshire County. We have the South Coast region. We have central Mass., the Cape and Islands—so many places that feel left out, left behind, that want to be at the table, and that are offering up unique solutions to address issues that plague our state. So my goal is to make sure I’m listening to folks all across the commonwealth.

You come across as extremely positive and optimistic. Don’t you ever get down?

Of course. I’m human. I get frustrated. I get angry. But I do my best not to internalize it and to make sure it doesn’t become resentment. What allows me to do that is my middle name, Joy. That’s not an accident. It’s actually after my biological mom, who passed away. Joy was her middle name. So I carry that spirit with me every day. I’m also extremely faith-driven. I pray a lot. I’m a believer, a Christian, and for me, what that means is not to give up hope. My hope is sustained by my faith and by my family. That’s what keeps me going.

How do you think the housing problem can be solved, both in Boston and statewide?

It has to be comprehensive. The governor, legislature, and local elected officials have a role to play, but the AG’s office does, too. We do work in the housing space, which most people don’t know about because they see the office as being exclusively about prosecuting cases. It’s more than that. So we started by issuing an advisory, for example, about the multi-family zoning law for MBTA communities. So many folks said, “We didn’t know that compliance was mandatory. We thought it was optional.” It’s not. We’re enforcing a critical piece of legislation that our former governor and legislature passed that will create more affordable family housing in communities served by the T. In making sure that our laws are enforced around housing, discrimination is also a major issue. There’s a lot we can do in this space, and I’m going to prioritize it.

Do you see housing as a way of addressing income inequality?

It’s critical to closing the racial wealth gap and to reducing homelessness. We don’t need another report from the federal government about how we can do that. This office can play a critical role in allowing folks to access credit and capital to buy a home, and if you’re a Black homeowner, we can make sure that your house is not appraised at a lesser value than a white homeowner.

Where do you stand on the hot-button topic of student loan forgiveness?

Pro.

Abortion access?

We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that medical abortion remains available. We’re actually setting up a new reproductive justice unit in the office to make sure we’re taking on everything related to reproductive healthcare, but also maternal health and the issues that stand in the way of folks planning a family. We’re going to fight for our residents here in Massachusetts.

From your office’s standpoint, what’s the single most pressing issue facing the elderly in Massachusetts?

It’s a few different things, but a big one is scams. The robocalls. Folks are actively targeting our elders to steal their property and money. Consumer protection for the elderly is critical. The other piece, though, is that we have people who are dying in long-term care facilities and nursing homes, so holding bad actors accountable is important. They’re causing significant hardship and pain for both elders and their families, and it’s a priority for the office. We’ve even proposed establishing an elder justice unit, which we will absolutely get off the ground because there’s a lot at stake.

Do you think your family’s involvement with the criminal justice system makes you more qualified to be AG?

Absolutely. We talk about representation mattering, and that also means lived experience. As my aunt, who is my mom, says all the time, “Who better to do the job?” It’s those who are living the very things we’re trying to solve.

A lot of your life story is soul-crushing. How do you keep it from getting to you?

That goes back to your question of how do I maintain my joy and my peace of mind. It requires work. And when you’ve had the level of trauma I’ve had, therapy is critical. Talk therapy is important to have a professional perspective and someone to make sure that you’re addressing that trauma. Because if it goes unaddressed, it can lead to really poor outcomes.

So are you bringing that emphasis on mental health into what was traditionally a cut-and-dried kind of office?

Absolutely. As I talk to young people, they ask, “How did you make it?” I say, “Tragedy and trauma are real. You can’t hide from it. You can’t run from it. You have to deal with it.” Sadly, I’ve lost a lot of loved ones to the system, and as painful as that is, I channel that pain into purpose every day to try and help those who are struggling.

What do you do with the little time off you have?

I spend time with my kids. I play with them at the park or at home. I spend time with my husband. I try to read here and there. I like to travel. I like to be in nature. And occasionally, I binge-watch some random show.

Did you ever feel out of place at Princeton?

No. There were others in my class who came from similar backgrounds: They were poor, or had loved ones who were incarcerated, or no parents in the picture, or some other traumatic thing happened. And I was prepared really well. I went to five excellent Boston Public Schools, not just Boston Latin but four others. When I got to Princeton, I couldn’t believe how little homework they gave me.

What would you have said if I’d told teenage you what you’d be doing now?

I would have said, “That’s total nonsense. I’m going to be an accountant or something to do with math.” So it’s just a reminder that you have your plans, and God has different or bigger plans. I feel blessed that I’ve landed in a place where I get to serve a purpose that’s bigger than me.

We never see the lighter side of you in the newspaper. Is there one?

They said I was funny at the St. Patrick’s Day breakfast.


Photo by Artisteer/Getty Images

By the Numbers

Law and Order

Breaking down the AG’s office in Massachusetts.

29

Number of years the longest-serving attorney general, Edmund Trowbridge, was in office—from 1738 to 1767.

454

How much more, in dollars, the AG makes compared to the governor’s base pay (not counting the gov’s housing allowance of $65,000).

96

Number of multistate antitrust lawsuits the state attorney general’s office has been party to since 1978.

41 million

Amount, in dollars, Massachusetts was awarded in April from a multistate settlement with e-cigarette maker Juul Labs, the company former AG Martha Coakley worked for after leaving office.

17

Number of consecutive years that the state has had a female AG, starting with Martha Coakley in 2007, then Maura Healey in 2015, and now Andrea Campbell.

First published in the print edition of the August 2023 issue, with the headline “Absence of Malice.”