Almost a century has had to pass for one of the most prominent positions in the press in the United Statesthat of the president’s spokesman, also known officially as “White House press secretary”, may have had another color other than white as an image of diversity.
At 44 years old, Karine Jean-Pierre becomes the first black person to hold the position in all of United States history.. The one chosen by President Joe Biden to replace Jen Psaki, after 15 months as press secretary of the Democratic White House, marks a new era in American politics, also being the first declared LGTQB to accept the role.
“I understand how important it is for so many people, so many different communities, that I stand on your shoulders and have throughout my career”, he declared when his appointment was announced.
The position of “press secretary” exists since 1929, under the presidency of Herbert Hoover 93 years ago. The first woman in office was Dee Dee Myers in 1993 during the presidency of Democrat Bill Clinton. Of the 35 press secretaries that the United States has had, a total of 7 have been women, five of whom have assumed the position since 2017.
Joe Biden chose an all-female communications team when he took office on January 20, 2021. Now, the Democrat is once again emphasizing the importance of establishing roles for minorities. “Karine not only brings the experience, talent and integrity required for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead communication about the work of the Biden-Harris Administration on behalf of the American people,” Biden said in a statement.
The announcement of her appointment was made on May 5 during a brief speech in which both, excited and praising each other, announced the good news, although the position did not officially take effect until May 13.
“I want to take this opportunity to celebrate and congratulate my friend, my colleague, my true partner, the next White House press secretary,” Jen Psaki said upon announcing her appointment. “This remarkable woman who will soon be behind the podium every day… She is passionate. She is smart and has a moral core that makes her not only a great partner, but an amazing mother and human being. Also, she has a great sense of humor,” she added.
“Thank you President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden for this opportunity. It is a real honor. I look forward to serving this Administration and the American people. I have the bar very high. Jen Psaki has been a great friend, mentor and excellent press secretary”, Jean-Pierre thanked during his first words before the correspondents whom he will have to see face every day.
The Biden Administration has organized daily press conferences to update the information on his government almost to the minute and respond to the doubts of the correspondents who cover the White House for the main media, following a very different line from that of the previous Administration.
The daughter of Haitian parents, Karine Jean-Pierre was born in Fort-de-France, Martinique, in 1977, although from the age of five she grew up in the New York neighborhood of Queens. As the eldest of two other siblings, they often took care of her while her father worked as a taxi driver and her mother as a home health aide.
Jean-Pierre, who is fluent in English, French, and Haitian Creole, graduated from Kellenberg Memorial High School in 1993 with a Catholic education, located on Long Island. He studied at the New York Institute of Technology in 1997 and later at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, where he decided to pursue politics after having been part of the student government of the renowned institution.
During Barack Obama’s first term, Jean-Pierre served as regional political director for the White House Office of Political Affairs. “President Obama is constantly hiring LGBTQ staff and experienced people who happen to be. Serving and working for him, where you can be openly gay, has been a great honor, ”she went on to say during an interview about her work as a member of the openly gay staff of the presidential residence.
Paired with CNN correspondent Suzanne Malveaux, both are mothers of a daughter and reside in the US capital.
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