On an Atlanta-bound Air Force One flight earlier this year, surrounded by reporters holding tape recorders, Karine Jean-Pierre broke a barrier by becoming the first LGBTQ Black woman to hold a White House press briefing. In May, she made history again, becoming the first openly gay spokeswoman and only the second Black woman to conduct a briefing from the podium of the White House briefing room.
Previous to joining President Joe Biden’s administration as principal deputy White House press secretary, Jean-Pierre served as chief of staff for vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris; she worked on Biden’s presidential campaign; and she was senior advisor and spokesperson for MoveOn.org. She has also lectured on international and public affairs at Columbia University.
Known as a force in progressive politics and political campaign organizing, she is the author of a memoir, Moving Forward: A Story of Hope, Hard Work, and the Promise of America. As a writer, speaker, and advocate, she has been open about her mental health struggles.
Jean-Pierre was born in Martinique after her parents fled Haiti. When she was five years old, the family immigrated to New York. Even though her father had an engineering degree, he worked as a taxi driver, while her mother was employed as a home health aide.
“They came here for the American dream that in many ways eluded them,” she said in an interview with PBS. “They still live check to check, but in their eyes, because I made it to the White House, because their daughter went to Columbia, they have received it.”
