PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Editor's Note: The above video is from November 2020, when Stephanie Morales talked about violence in Portsmouth.
Forbes Magazine named Portsmouth Commonwealth's Attorney Stephanie Morales a "rising star" when it released its For(bes) The Culture 50 Champions on October 26.
The list made of up of people who are "are models of business excellence in their own various industries who also uplift Black and Brown communities through their crafts and philanthropic efforts."
In the write-up about Morales, Forbes said the city's top prosecutor works to bring awareness to race and social issues and has created resources for communities of color, particularly for young people within Black and Brown communities. Forbes said Morales created re-entry programs for people who had been incarcerated, created youth programs, and more.
The write-up said:
In 2015, Stephanie Morales became the first woman elected as Commonwealth’s Attorney in Portsmouth, Virginia. Since then, she’s proposed changes to the criminal justice system, created re-entry programs for formerly incarcerated citizens and served as a mentor to youth in her community. Morales is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the Links and the Virginia State Child Fatality Review Team, as well as a national board member of the Local Progress Organization.
Among the other "champions," are athlete Colin Kaepernick, co-creator and star of HBO's Insecure Issa Rae, and Kizzmekia Corbett, an immunologist who made "key contributions" to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine.