After an impressive prosecutorial showing — and attention-grabbing fashion — as an impeachment manager in the historic second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett is now considered a rising star in the Democratic Party.
The U.S. delegate representing the U.S. Virgin Islands was a standout in the trial as she showed off her skills as a both a prosecutor and orator, often having standout moments on the U.S. Senate floor as she and eight other impeachment managers made their case to convict Trump for inciting the deadly Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6.
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Now, all eyes on Del. Stacey Plaskett as she navigates Congress with a raised public profile and newfound popularity in her party. In an exclusive interview with theGrio, Plaskett admits she’s a bit “uncomfortable” by the new attention she’s been receiving, particularly on the internet, but says she appreciates all the love.
“This recognition from people and this internet stuff is really kind of uncomfortable for me,” Plaskett tells theGrio. “I’m in my fourth term now and I’ve used all this time to really just focus on policy, economic development, educational opportunities [and] broadband. So to be known for what I did as an impeachment manager is not something that I really thought was going to happen.”
Plaskett said she especially took to heart the love she got from Black America and women. “The thing that’s been best is the number of women [who] have just been so positive and particularly just the Black love … it’s just been such a warm feeling. But truthfully, you know, you feel like you’re just doing your job. You’re just focused into what you’re doing, and for that to finally pay off is just been a great feeling.”
The internet also praised Plaskett’s outfit choices and even her hairstyle during the impeachment trial. The congresswoman admits that while the clothes did come from her closet, it was her close girlfriends who put together her looks in a sartorial labor of love.
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“My best girlfriends, my college roommates were like, Stacey, you need to have your game on check. And so they went through my closet and my sisters dressed me. They were like … girl, you cannot wear that, you’re going to wear this,” Plaskett recalls. “It’s really a tribute to a community, a love of some sisters just saying we want you to look your best, your fiercest — you’re representing us. And I’m just grateful for the love that they gave me.”
She added, “It’s really interesting how important women’s clothing seems to be, you know? I’m just glad that people also saw the excellence that I tried to bring to the impeachment managers and to the work as well.”
During her time on the Senate floor, Plaskett had some standout moments. One in particular was when the Brooklyn, New York native called out Trump’s defense counsel for playing a video montage of mostly Black and minority lawmakers in what she saw as dog whistles and dangerous stereotypes.
Read More: Stacey Plaskett slams Trump’s impeachment defense: ‘Black women are sick and tired’
“I used that time because I have a responsibility as a Black person in the room, as a Black woman in the room, as a Caribbean American, to speak truth to power, to use or utilize my influence to support my community and every chance I get, however appropriate,” she said. “Sometimes I do it loudly, sometimes I do it quietly, but I will always speak for my people.”
At the impeachment trial, Plaskett also spoke up for her constituents in the U.S. Virgin Islands and others living in U.S. territories whose representatives in the U.S. Congress cannot vote on legislation.
“Being a member of the territory, you vote in committee, you vote on amendments, you don’t vote on final passage. Members of Congress vote on issues that affect my constituents and I don’t have a right to vote on that,” Plaskett tells theGrio. “How could I not utilize that platform to speak for the people who sent me there to Washington? That would have been a wasted opportunity and I would have been ashamed if I hadn’t.”
Despite Plaskett and the impeachment managers’ hard work during the trial, 47 Republicans ultimately voted to acquit Trump. For Black and Brown communities, in particular, who feel Donald Trump’s acquittal was a win for white supremacy following a mostly white mob storming the U.S. Capitol in protest of an election where Black voters made the difference, Plaskett said she too shares that pain.
“The loss is heartbreaking,” she says. “While most of us were not surprised by it, it still breaks your heart. All the work, all the effort, all the desire and the passion to equip our democracy and to make a statement and to push down this individual who is the embodiment of so much bad. He just channeled all the hatred, all the frustrations, all the ignorance that is in this country.”
She added, “We know we’re not done. We’ve got others who are waiting, preparing their cases for him as now citizen Donald Trump. And we are praying for them and we’ll give them whatever support we can.”
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Plaskett, the daughter of immigrants from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her dad was a NYPD officer and her mother worked in the court system. Plaskett says her parents often opened up their home to other Virgin Islanders and helped them get on their feet while living in the Big Apple. “I tell people that one of my greatest blessings is that I have parents who think I’m the greatest thing since sliced bread,” the congresswoman quipped. “I adore them as much as I know they they care and have sacrificed for me.”
Plaskett is also a wife and mother to four sons and one daughter. “I have an amazing husband who is also involved in politics and business and has really been a rock and a foundation for me during this impeachment,” she says. “I think I have the finest Black man as a husband.”
Working in public service is not easy on any family, which is why Plaskett says she’s grateful to her husband and children for sharing their time with her constituents and the demands of Washington. “I’m not always there for them in a way that mothers who have a nine to five can be. And so I’m always grateful that they’ve given me that opportunity and supported me, campaigned with me for me to be able to do that,” says Plaskett.
With her newfound popularity, Plaskett is also making an impact on young Black girls who were inspired by seeing a Black woman as an impeachment manager on the TV screen in what will be known as one of the most visible and critical roles in American history.
“I really try to live my life by the motto of too much is given, much is required. And I hope that for the most part, I equip myself in a way that brings honor to Black people and causes others to want to follow in my footsteps,” says Plaskett. “Not just Black boys and girls, but even white girls. I’ve had a couple of friends, white women, who said their daughters wanted to be like me and asked me about wearing a blue dress.
“So I take that as the greatest of compliments, although I don’t know if my own kids would say that, you know, they they know a very different person,” she jokes.
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