Colonel Pamela Stevenson meets prospective voters at Berea's Nightjar

Feb. 9—Sierra Marling

On Monday, Feb. 6, Colonel Pamela Stevenson, who is running against Republican candidate Russell Coleman for Kentucky attorney general, visited Berea for a candidate meet and greet.

Stevenson is the first Black woman nominated for Kentucky attorney general and was the only Democrat to file for the race this election season.

She is known for founding the Stevenson Law Center, a non-profit law firm that serves veterans, seniors, and working families who can't afford attorneys; serving Oak Grove as a minister; teaching law at the University of Louisville; and working as a state representative.

The venue for the meet and greet — Nightjar — is owned by Berea City Councilmember Katie Startzman. She and Madison County Democratic Party Chair Martina Jackson introduced Stevenson to the crowd.

In the opening of her speech, Stevenson claimed that "the promise of Kentucky cannot be fulfilled on the pathway we're on," calling on a collective effort to bring change to the Commonwealth.

The candidate referenced current political occurrences, such as the overturning of Roe v. Wade— often cited as Conservative victories — as failings toward fulfilling the promise of Kentucky and a "slippery slope" towards losing more rights to a government that she claimed is not currently working for the people. However, she claimed that her extensive law experience, including her 27 years of judge advocate officer (JAG) service, prepared her for the job.

"I stayed in the Air Force because I loved the promise of America. I stayed 27 years, and during that 27 years, I was a prosecutor. I prosecuted horrific crimes; people having sex with their children and women who did not consent. I defended innocent men and got them off and also represented America on the global stage," she said. "I practiced law locally, state, nationally, and internationally...They trusted me with the promise of America, they trusted me to do well. and here's the thing. I said when I complete my service for America, I'm gonna go back and do for Kentucky what I did for America. In the service, we like to say Duty, Honor, Country. Now, I'm transitioning to Duty, Honor, Kentucky."

The candidate encouraged those in attendance to sign a poster that Stevenson said represented a pledge from her to "honor the dignity of every person and to lift up the voices of those who have been left behind and see that justice serves all of us."

The poster was gifted to Startzman to hang at Nightjar.

Stevenson said the power of the attorney general's office is not currently being utilized.

"The attorney general position is for the people, by the people, to serve their people. When I look out over Kentucky, Kentucky families are struggling. We've had tornadoes, hurricanes pandemic, and what we should focus our time on is is, how do we make sure that the companies that are price gouging, pay a price? How do we make sure that families have a living wage? How do we make sure that our elderly are taken care of? How do we make sure that the children in foster care are taken care of — that when they age out into the community and not the streets? That's the power of that office that's not necessarily been used."

She did not offer any platform-specific promises. Instead, Stevenson claimed she would be an attorney general that listened to the needs of underserved populations directly, inviting constituents to bring issues to her attention.

"I'll tell [them] if I can do it or not," she said. "Then, secondly, I will ask them to be a part of the solution. No one person can do it — not even the elected officials. We need our citizens to stay with us. So after I know what you want, and if we can do it, I'm going to ask you, 'will you stay with us and do your part?'"