Karine Jean-Pierre
Karine Jean-Pierre | |
---|---|
![]() | |
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary | |
Assumed office January 20, 2021 | |
President | Joe Biden |
Preceded by | Brian Morgenstern |
Personal details | |
Born | Fort-de-France, Martinique, France | August 13, 1977
Political party | Democratic |
Domestic partner | Suzanne Malveaux |
Children | 1 |
Education | New York Institute of Technology (BS) Columbia University (MPA) |
Website | Official website |
Karine Jean-Pierre (born August 13, 1977) is an American political campaign organizer, activist, political commentator, and author of French Caribbean heritage. Since January 2021, she has been White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary in the Biden-Harris Administration. Jean-Pierre served as the chief of staff for Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris on the 2020 United States presidential campaign and was the first Black woman, and the first lesbian, to ever hold that position.[1] Previously, Jean-Pierre was the senior advisor and national spokeswoman for MoveOn.org and a political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. Jean-Pierre is a former lecturer in international and public affairs at Columbia University.
Early life and education
Jean-Pierre was born in Fort-de-France, Martinique to Haitian parents,[2][3] and was raised in Queens Village, New York City,[4] from age 5, the eldest of three siblings.[5][6] Her mother worked as a home health aide, and her father was a taxi driver.[7] Since both parents worked most days of the week, Jean-Pierre was often responsible for caring for her younger siblings.[6] She is a graduate of the New York Institute of Technology[8] and received her MPA from the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University (SIPA) in 2003, where she served in student government and decided to pursue politics.[9][7]
Career
Following graduate school, Jean-Pierre worked as the director of legislative and budget affairs for New York City councilor James F. Gennaro. In 2006, she was hired as the outreach coordinator for Walmart Watch in Washington, D.C.[7]
Jean-Pierre was the southeast regional political director for John Edwards' presidential campaign in 2008.[10][5] She joined the Columbia University faculty in 2014, where she is a lecturer in international and public affairs.[11][12]
Obama administration
During the Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign, Jean-Pierre was the campaign's southeast regional political director[10][3] and was the regional political director for the White House Office of Political Affairs during the Obama administration's first term.[13][14][3][15]
In 2011, Jean-Pierre served as National Deputy Battleground States Director for President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign.[3][14][5] She led the delegate selection and ballot access process and managed the political engagement in key states,[10] providing resources to help states determine "the best way for them to get the word out for the campaign."[13]
Jean-Pierre served as the deputy campaign manager for the Martin O'Malley 2016 presidential campaign.[10][3][5]
MoveOn and political commentary
In April 2016, MoveOn.org named Jean-Pierre a senior advisor and national spokesperson for the 2016 presidential election. In a press release announcing the hire, MoveOn said she would "advise on and serve as a spokesperson around MoveOn's electoral work, including a major effort to stand up to Donald Trump."[16]
On June 1, 2019, Jean-Pierre moderated MoveOn forum featuring vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris when an animal rights activist jumped onto the stage and rushed at Harris, grabbing her microphone. Jean-Pierre intervened physically, standing between Harris and the protester until security, including Harris's husband Doug Emhoff, removed the man from the stage.[3][17][18][19][20]
In January 2019, Jean-Pierre became a political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC.[21]
Biden-Harris administration
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/P20210526KR-0817_%2851224817078%29.jpg/220px-P20210526KR-0817_%2851224817078%29.jpg)
Jean-Pierre worked as a senior advisor to the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign. She joined the Biden team in May 2020, and explained to The Haitian Times that a desire to shape the future was especially motivating: When she was approached by the campaign, she looked at her daughter “and I thought to myself, ‘There is no way I can not get involved in this election.'”[7] In August 2020, it was announced that Jean-Pierre would serve as the Chief of Staff for Biden's vice presidential nominee, who had not yet been announced.[22]
On November 29, 2020, the Biden-Harris transition team announced that Jean-Pierre had been tapped to be the Principal Deputy Press Secretary.[23] On May 26, 2021, Jean-Pierre gave her first White House press briefing, becoming the first openly gay woman to do so[24] and the first Black woman to do so since 1991.[25] She was named to Fast Company's Queer 50 list in 2021.[26]
In April 2022, she stated that the White House opposes Ron DeSantis "taking action against a company" (Disney for their opposition to Florida House Bill 1557, referring to the effort to repeal the Reedy Creek Improvement Act.[27]
Activism
Jean-Pierre has worked at the Center for Community and Corporate Ethics.[28] In December 2018, the Haitian Times named her one of six "Haitian Newsmakers Of The Year".[12]
Personal life
As of 2020[update], Jean-Pierre lives in the Washington, D.C. area with her partner, CNN correspondent Suzanne Malveaux, and their daughter.[7]
In an interview regarding her work as an openly-gay staffer[29][7] in the Obama White House, she said: "What's been wonderful is that I was not the only; I was one of many. President Obama didn't hire LGBT staffers, he hired experienced individuals who happen to be LGBT," she says. "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."[15]
Jean-Pierre's first book, Moving Forward, was published in 2019. It is described by WJLA as "part memoir, part call to arms," in which she recounts her personal and professional life and encourages people to become involved in politics.[30]
She is fluent in French, English, and Haitian Creole.[7]
Book
- Moving Forward: A Story of Hope, Hard Work, and the Promise of America. New York: Hanover Square Press. November 5, 2019. ISBN 978-1-335-91783-6.
See also
References
- ^ Eugenios, Jillian (June 1, 2021). "Karine Jean-Pierre on building a 'stronger and more inclusive' America". NBC News. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
- ^ "Karine Jean-Pierre". The Haitian Roundtable. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Lorand, Karl. "Kamala Harris et Karine Jean-Pierre, deux femmes noires et caribéennes dans le premier cercle de Joe Biden". www.rci.fm (in French). Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ Watson, Jessica (October 30, 2012). "A conversation with former Obama aide, Karine Jean-Pierre". SheKnows Media. Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Karine Jean-Pierre: Five Things To Know About Kamala Harris' New Powerhouse Chief Of Staff". BET. August 13, 2020. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ a b Woodruff, Julie (November 26, 2019). "Karine Jean-Pierre on her mental health struggle and a blueprint for activism". PBS Newsour. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g Bojarski, Sam (October 23, 2020). "Karine Jean-Pierre: Biden Adviser And The Face Of An Inclusive America". The Haitian Times. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ "Four Women Who Will Handle the Media in the Biden White House". The New York Times. December 1, 2020. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ "FEMALE RISING – 7 Caribbean American Women Making Waves". News America Now. March 15, 2018. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Karine Jean-Pierre: Biography". School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University. Archived from the original on June 21, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ Norris, Molly (January 15, 2018). "Political activist Karine Jean-Pierre encourages action, proactivity in speech". The Michigan Daily. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ a b "Haitian Newsmakers Of The Year". Haitian Times. December 27, 2018. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ a b Johnson, Chris (September 8, 2011). "Behind the scenes of the Obama campaign". Washington Blade. Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
- ^ a b Allen, Mike (August 25, 2011). "Obama 2012 launches Project Vote". Politico. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
- ^ a b "Women on the Verge Part Two". The Advocate. June 9, 2011. Archived from the original on August 13, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ "MoveOn.com Names Karine Jean-Pierre As Senior Advisor & National Spokesperson for 2016 Elections". Politico. April 27, 2016. Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
- ^ Gstalter, Morgan (June 4, 2019). "Moderator describes defending Harris from protester: 'Here comes this guy with all of his male privilege'". TheHill. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ "Karine Jean-Pierre protects Kamala Harris like a Wakanda warrior". June 2, 2019. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ Vasquez, Christian; Cadelago, Christopher. "Protester grabs Kamala Harris' microphone at San Francisco forum". POLITICO. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
- ^ "'It was a scary moment:' Karine Jean-Pierre reacts to protestor rushing stage at Kamala Harris event". MSNBC.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ Concha, Joe (January 8, 2019). "MoveOn.org senior adviser joins NBC, MSNBC as political analyst". The Hill. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ Wilkie, Christina (August 11, 2020). "Biden campaign prepares for VP pick announcement". CNBC. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ Swasey, Benjamin (November 29, 2020). "Biden Names All-Female White House Communications Team; Will Tap Tanden For OMB". NPR. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ Rascoe, Ayesha (May 26, 2021). "Karine Jean-Pierre Is The 1st Black Woman In Decades To Brief White House Press". NPR. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ Malloy, Allie; Kelly, Caroline. "Karine Jean-Pierre becomes first Black woman in 30 years to host daily White House press briefing". CNN. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ "Announcing Fast Company's second annual Queer 50 list". Fast Company. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ Rozsa, Lori; Craig, Tim; Sampson, Hannah (April 21, 2022). "Florida legislature passes bill repealing Disney special tax status". Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
- ^ "Karine Jean-Pierre: The Child of Haitian Immigrants Who Became the Forefront of U.S. Politics". L'Union Suite. August 16, 2017. Archived from the original on August 7, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
- ^ Fitzsimons, Tim (August 19, 2020). "Harris' chief of staff Karine Jean-Pierre on how a Biden win could deliver LGBTQ gains". NBC News. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ "Karine Jean-Pierre on "Moving Forward" and inspiring a new generation of changemakers". WJLA-TV. November 8, 2019. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
External links
Media related to Karine Jean-Pierre at Wikimedia Commons
- 1977 births
- 21st-century American memoirists
- 21st-century American women writers
- Activists from New York City
- American women memoirists
- American political consultants
- American people of Haitian descent
- American women in politics
- Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign
- Barack Obama 2012 presidential campaign
- Columbia University faculty
- French emigrants to the United States
- Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign
- Lesbian academics
- LGBT people from France
- LGBT people from New York (state)
- Living people
- MSNBC people
- New York (state) Democrats
- New York Institute of Technology alumni
- School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University alumni
- Writers from Queens, New York