She’s only the second Black woman in 30 years!
Karine Jean-Pierre is making history as the first Black woman to host the daily White House press briefing in three decades, CNN Politics reports.
Jean-Pierre got her start as an activist, serving as chief public affairs officer at MoveOn.org and working on the campaign for the American Civil Liberties Union’s Reproductive Freedom Initiative. She would go on to serve on the presidential campaigns for Forever President Barack Obama and Martin O’Malley and work as a political analyst for NBC and MSNBC. Jean-Pierre also was the former senior adviser for the Biden campaign and chief of staff for Kamala Harris.
“It’s a real honor to be standing here today. I appreciate the historic nature. I really do. But I believe that…being behind this podium, being in this room, being in this building is not about one person. It’s about what we do on behalf of the American people,” Jean-Pierre said.
The first Black female White House spokeswoman was Judy Smith, who held her first daily press briefing in 1991 under President George H.W. Bush. Jean-Pierre carries on the legacy of Smith as a part of the illustrious all-female White House senior communications team chosen by the Biden administration. The team includes seven women, many of them women of color, who hold some of the most visible roles in the White House administration.
Jean-Pierre works closely with Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, and spoke candidly about the administration’s mission being bigger than any one person.
“This is not about me. This is not about any of us. And anytime I’m behind here, and I think you’ve heard Jen say this as well — we are going to be truthful. We are going to be transparent as well,” Jean-Pierre said.
Congratulations, Karine!
Photo Courtesy of Evan Vucci/Associated Press