Black, Lesbian and Immigrant: This is the life of Karine Jean-Pierre

On May 16, 2022 the world met Karine Jean-Pierre as Press Secretary of the White House. This black, lesbian graduate from Columbia, who replaced Jen Psaki, was given a position that isn't easy to hold.

According to a June 29, 2022 story by Politico, Karine Jean-Pierre has generated mixed opinions during her time as White House Press Secretary.

Some have complained that she strictly adheres to talking points and appears unprepared, others have argued that she's a better resource behind the scenes. What nobody can deny is that she has made history.

Regardless of what you think of her, what is true is that Karine Jean-Pierre has given everyone a lot to talk about.

“I am a Black, gay, immigrant woman”, said Jean-Pierre during her debut, born in Martinique to Haitian parents but living stateside since she was 5. “The first of all three of those to hold this position. I would not be here today if it were not for generations of barrier-breaking people before me. I stand on their shoulders”.

The Guardian reports that during her 64-minute debut, the new White House Press Secretary addressed several subjects, ranging from baby formula to the war in Ukraine.

More poignantly, the first black person to hold the position of White House Press Secretary read off the list of the people that had passed away in Buffalo, NY on May 15, 2022. Victims of an assault carried out by a white supremacist.

Karine Jean-Pierre was born in Martinique, a French island in the West Indies, to Haitian parents in 1977. The family relocated to New York City when she was 5.

The family lived in Queens, where Jean-Pierre’s dad worked as a taxi driver and her mom was a health care aide. Young Karine often took care of her younger siblings due to her parents’ work.

Image: Twitter, @K_JeanPierre

Jean-Pierre got a B.S. from the New York Institute of Technology in 1997. Six years later, she obtained a Master's Degree in Public Affairs from Columbia University. At this moment, the future White House Press Secretary decided to pursue politics.

Image: Twitter, @K_JeanPierre

The Martinique-born politician and activist worked her way up within the Democratic Party. She worked in the Barack Obama presidential campaign in 2008 as the southeast regional political director.

During the first term of Barack Obama, Jean-Pierre was part of the White House Office of Political Affairs as regional political director.

“President Obama didn't hire LGBT staffers, he hired experienced individuals who happen to be LGBT”, she told The Advocate IN 2011. “Serving and working for President Obama where you can be openly gay has been an amazing honor”.

However, her work has not been limited to the government. Jean-Pierre joined the faculty of Columbia University in 2014, where she teaches international and public affairs.

And in 2016, she became a senior advisor for the progressive policy advocacy group MoveOn. A press release by the organization stated that she would “serve as a spokesperson around MoveOn's electoral work, including a major effort to stand up to Donald Trump”.

Jean-Pierre also became in 2019 in political analyst for NBC and MSNBC.

Despite all of this, the White House Press Secretary has not neglected her personal life. She has a daughter with her partner, CNN correspondent Suzanne Malveaux. Here the couple can be seen in a 2015 event.

Jean-Pierre worked as a senior advisor during the 2020 Democratic Presidential Campaign and was named Deputy White House Press Secretary of the Biden administration, second to Jen Psaki (pictured).

Psaki was a divisive figure, well-known for her “Psaki bombs”. Love it or hate it, she left a big impression that will be hard to fill.

Psaki’s successor also has had a few controversies of her own in the past. According to The New York Post, old tweets of her resurfaced, claiming that the 2018 Georgia Governor Election was stolen by the Republic Party and that Donald Trump was “an illegitimate president”.

Only time will tell what will be the legacy of Karine Jean-Pierre as White House Press Secretary.