Ashely Sowls is making history as the first African American prosecutor for St. Mary's County, Maryland.
Sowls said she didn’t realize until after she’d taken the job that she was breaking that barrier. She joined the state's attorney's office in January.
"It means progress. It means the ability to reach back, and, hopefully, I won’t be the last," Sowls said.
Sowls said her swearing in was surreal, and her parents and grandmother were there to see her make history.
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"My grandmother is 92 years old, she'll be 93 this year. So, I think for her just that opportunity to still see progress, I could tell she was proud. I could see her beaming," she said.
Sowls has previous experience prosecuting cases in Prince George’s and Calvert counties, as well as Charles County, where she grew up.
"I think I just bring a different perspective, a different experience, and I think I also bring hope to the community," she said.
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St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling, the first woman elected to the job, appointed Sowls.
"I think it’s important especially in this time that we’re living in for people who already occupy spaces to open up those doors for others where maybe there wasn’t a space, and that’s what State's Attorney Jaymi Sterling has done for me," Sowls said.
Sowls prosecutes many types of cases, including for special victims, sex assaults, domestic violence and violent crimes.
"All of the cases are hard. I think when people look at what we do, they see case files. But I see people, and this is their worst day. So whether it's a felony or a misdemeanor, it’s the worst day of
somebody's life," she said.
Sowls' advice to others trying to break barriers: stay true to yourself and don’t let fear get in your way.
