Recently-elected Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx was sworn in Thursday, becoming the first African-American woman to hold the office.
Foxx was sworn in by Chief Cook County Judge Timothy Evans before a crowd that included Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Chicago police superintendent Eddie Johnson and former Gov. Pat Quinn, among others, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
During her speech Thursday, Foxx referred to her election as the “journey of a lifetime.”
The Democrat, who was raised in the Cabrini Green housing project, beat out embattled former State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez in the March Democratic primary. Alvarez came under fire for her handling of the Laquan McDonald case. The Chicago teen was shot and killed by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke in October of 2014.
Subsequently, Foxx soundly defeated Republican Christopher Pfannkuche in the November general election.
During her swearing in Monday, Foxx claimed that “hopelessness reigns” throughout the country and the city of Chicago and promised "transparency and justice" as a way to shift the culture.
The Democrat vowed to address the city’s pervasive violence head on, outlining her plan to meet with “angry” members of the community and hold responsible parties accountable for their actions, “no matter who they are.” According to the Sun-Times, Foxx also said she plans to review police-involved shootings and how they are handled.
