Colette Washington & Khari James

October-November  2024 Cover Woman 

I met Khari James at GroundOps Roastery and Bakehouse in Midtown, bright and early, on a weekday morning. We had to change the time once this week as Khari is preparing for an upcoming case. Khari is a prosecutor. I came to learn that most of the cases Khari works on are crimes involving sexual, domestic, and homicidal violence. The work, she told me, is arduous and challenging, but you would have never guessed Khari carries the weight of the responsibility of advocating for these vulnerable families, or that she’s been through the most challenging year of her life, as she gave me the warmest smile and hug upon meeting – for the first time I might add.

Khari is also celebrating a significant milestone. She’s 33 weeks pregnant, expecting a baby girl, and soaking in every part of becoming a mother. Khari said she’s feeling good and waiting patiently for her fall due date to roll around. And on cue, with the strength I am almost already certain she’s gotten from her mother, Khari’s baby starts hiccuping, assuring us, she is very much ready to be part of our conversation— or she’s telling me to put my coffee down, and get started, so I can stop taking up all of her mom’s attention!

It’s a blessing that Khari is so far along in her pregnancy. Her last year has been incredibly difficult— including two recurrent miscarriages, many doctor’s visits, surgeries, reading countless case studies related to how the shape of your uterus may affect your ability to carry a baby to term, all the while continuing her work fighting for victims of heinous crimes. Children that aren’t her own, but they might as well be, she told me, with the way she internalizes her job.

“I get very protective over them and always want to make sure they feel heard and supported,” said Khari.

She is a Tallahassee native. “I have left a few times and come back because I just cannot seem to get enough,” said Khari. Those trips away included her time studying at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, as well internship opportunities in Washington D.C., and a year of law school in Chicago. However, her need to return to Tallahassee remained fervent. “I think it just feels comfortable here,” said Khari.

“[Tallahassee] feels safe. It feels comfortable. It feels like my comfort blanket. It’s home.”

With the nature of her job, the desire for familial connection and deep-rooted friendship makes perfect sense.

Khari’s return to Tallahassee came through the avenue of completing law school at Florida State University. “FSU law school is also very government and public interest focused,” said Khari. “I still had access to very similar resources for what I was interested in.” Khari explained that’s where she began working at the State Attorney’s Office, first as an intern and then hired full-time after passing the bar exam.

Being a zealous advocate for those who had experienced horrific traumas was the very path that she would dedicate her working life. “I don’t feel like it was hard to do that type of work,” said Khari. “I don’t feel like it was hard because I’ve always known what I wanted to do. It’s who I am.” A passion and love for advocacy that has clearly stood the test of time. Khari’s passion emanated while she recounted memories in court, fighting for family’s freedom from an abuser, or advocating for herself for a key college internship with the Department of Homeland Security, or that summer she spent working at the White House.

“I was taught from a very young age, if I want something, then I can do it. There is nothing that I cannot do.” said Khari. It’s been one of the fundamental philosophies that’s governed her life. “I just kind of carried it with me… If I want something, then I can do it, and I’m going to find a way to work hard to make it happen.” She shared that the choice to be in this career field was never difficult. There was always inner clarity and self-assurance that this was her destined path; so her commitment to the job and advocacy came naturally.

It’s an inner strength that has grounded Khari throughout her life and is a constant reminder of what she is capable of overcoming and achieving. It’s a belief she would need to cling on to during the events of last year when she recounted some of the lowest and most challenging moments of her life.

“I’m standing up there, fighting for justice for someone’s child, while I was actively losing my own.”

Like all of the many times before in Khari’s life, when she put her mind to something, she achieved that goal. So when Khari decided she was ready to have a baby, that’s exactly what happened. However, things were not quite that simple. “Getting pregnant was not difficult, staying pregnant was,” said Khari.

To learn more about the Cover Woman and her inspiring journey, you can access the full article by clicking on the magazine above.

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