President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris both made one thing unequivocally clear during their Wilmington, DE acceptance speeches this past Saturday; they did not topple the oligarchy of President Donald Trump on their own. Their loyal, dedicated, and tireless staff were as much a part of the victory as the President and Vice President-Elect. One of the fiercest warriors in this battle was Karine Jean-Pierre, an MSNBC contributor, author (‘Moving Forward’), and Chief Public Affairs Officer for MoveON. Jean-Pierre also holds the distinction of being the first Black and first out lesbian to serve as a Vice Presidential Chief of Staff.
We wonder, now that the campaign is done, will she continue her role or will there be an even larger role for her when January 2021 rolls around.
Direct from the French West Indies island of Martinique, Jean-Pierre comes from New York City, completing graduate school at Columbia University. Kicking off her political career working for the John Edwards campaign in 2004, then moving onto Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns as well as Martin O’Malley’s 2016 presidential campaign, before landing at the winning Biden/Harris ticket. Jean-Pierre came to recent prominence when, as Vice Presidential nominee (at the time) Senator Kamala Harris spoke, rose from her seat and stood between Harris and a protester who stormed the stage at a MoveOn event.
Her tenure during President Obama’s first term in the White House Office of Political Affairs set the tone for her political career going forward. As for being an out lesbian working in the White House, Jean-Pierre said to The Advocate :
“What’s been wonderful is that I was not the only; I was one of many” She went on to say “President Obama didn’t hire LGBT staffers, he hired experienced individuals who happen to be LGBT.” “Serving and working for President Obama where you can be openly gay has been an amazing honor. It felt incredible to be a part of an administration that prioritizes LGBT issues.”
@K_JeanPierre says it GO TIME, so LETS GO! pic.twitter.com/JwQ1o6z7Hx
— Doug Emhoff (@DouglasEmhoff) August 12, 2020
“Representation matters,” she told The Advocate. “That is why I find so many of these young newly-elected members of Congress — many of whom are women and women of color — so inspiring.”
Thank you Karine Jean-Pierre for your hard work and dedication!
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