Karine Jean-Pierre Becomes First Black Woman Since 1991 To Brief White House Press Corps
Deputy White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre became the first Black woman to lead a White House press briefing since 1991.
"It's a real honor just to be standing here today. I appreciate the historic nature, I really do,” Jean-Pierre, who is also the first openly gay woman in the role, told reporters in the press room. “But I believe 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, 43, has more than a decade of experience working on high-profile political campaigns. She worked on former Democratic nominee for Vice President John Edwards and President Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns. In 2016, she was the deputy campaign manager for Martin O'Malley’s presidential campaign and last year she was the co-national political director for Harris’ presidential campaign.
In May of 2020, Jean-Pierre, a first-generation Haitian-American became a senior adviser to Biden’s presidential campaign. In August it was announced that she was the Chief of Staff for Kamala Harris.
Judy Smith, was the last Black woman to serve as deputy press secretary when she worked in the administration of President George H.W. Bush in 1991.
