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KARINE JEAN-PIERRE
Politics

Meet Karine Jean-Pierre, the History-Making Lesbian on Biden's Staff

After being theĀ first Black person and first out lesbian to hold a chief of staff role for a vice-presidential nominee, she now has her official appointment for the administration.

Karine Jean-Pierre is helping to move the nation forward -- and she's making history in the process.

The political activist and author played a key role as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris made their successful run for the White House. She joined the campaign initially as senior adviser and then became chief of staff to Harris, making Jean-Pierre the first Black person and first out lesbian to hold that position for a vice-presidential nominee. She helped develop long-term strategy and manage day-to-day tactics for the campaign, and she traveled with the candidates to battleground states. Now, Jean-Pierre has been named principal deputy press secretary for the Biden administration, joining Carlos Elizondo, another out staffer who has been named to the administration. Her appointment also makes her a part of the first-ever all-female senior White House communications staff.

When Jean-Pierre joined the campaign, she brought with her experience as a nonprofit leader, commentator, and White House staffer in the Obama administration, plus a drive to make the nation better and more inclusive.

"As a Black gay immigrant who comes from a working-class family, I know that America hasn't always worked for everyone," says the 2020 Out100 honoree, who was born in Martinique to Haitian immigrants and grew up in New York City. "And I know that America still doesn't work for everyone. The truth of the matter is we have a long way to go. But that's what I'm working toward: mobilizing people around this shared vision of what an America that works for everyone could look like -- and then making it happen."

"I believe that that America, one that is stronger and more inclusive, is within reach," she adds, noting that Biden and Harris are the type of leaders needed to help the nation get there. They are "leaders who will work to pull all of us up, not tear some of us down," she says, and she was glad to join them and their millions of supporters in an effort "to make America all it can be for all those who have been left behind."

Many other women of color are pushing the nation in the right direction as well, Jean-Pierre says. More women ran for office in 2020 than ever before, and more than a third of them were women of color.

"Those numbers are exciting, but I also know that numbers aren't everything," she says. "Representation can't always be counted, but it can be felt. And this year, I already feel a change."

There are many issues for these women to address. In 2020, she notes, "All of us have experienced some sort of change and some sort of loss. And for many of us, those changes and losses have been on an almost inconceivably large scale. Millions of Americans have lost a loved one (or ones) to the pandemic. We've watched another nationwide epidemic unfurl this summer as the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too many other Black people overtook television screens, demonstrating that racism is, unfortunately, just as pervasive."

But Jean-Pierre remains hopeful. "America is progressing towards a stronger, more inclusive future -- and I know women of color are a driving force in that evolution," she says. "Soon, I believe our politics will start to show it a bit more too."

The author of the appropriately titled 2019 book Moving Forward seeks to help others make their voices heard. "This book means a lot to me because while it's a memoir, it's also a map -- a map people can use to get involved in politics and in their communities," she says. "I wanted to demystify the political process and make it accessible to everyone who wants to get involved. Helping open the door for other people will always be something I'm proud of."

A version of this piece was originally published in this year's Out100 issue, out on newstands 12/1. The issue has four cover stars: Janelle Monae, Wilson Cruz, Joe Mantello, and Janaya Khan. To get your own copy directly, support queer media and subscribe -- or download yours for Amazon, Kindle, Nook, or Apple News +. The first-ever Out100 Symposium, titled "How Do We Come Back From This" was hosted by Janaya Khan. Watch the first-ever Out100 Virtual Honoree Induction Ceremony on the Out100 Live landing page.

Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate's senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she's interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud "old movie weirdo" and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and '40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.

Trudy Ring is The Advocate's senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she's interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud "old movie weirdo" and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and '40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.

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Juneteenth Flag
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Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate's senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she's interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud "old movie weirdo" and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and '40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.

Trudy Ring is The Advocate's senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she's interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud "old movie weirdo" and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and '40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.

Politics

Why do we celebrate Juneteenth? The origins & significance of the national holiday

First celebrated in 1866 in Texas, here's how and why Juneteenth became a federal holiday.

Juneteenth is a federal holiday observed every June 19 that commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. Here's a look at how it came to be.

Why is Juneteenth celebrated on June 19?

Photo of handwritten record showing General Orders, Number 3, issued by United States Major General Gordon Granger, June 19, 1865. The date of Granger's issuance of the order is now celebrated as JuneteenthPhoto of handwritten record showing General Orders, Number 3, issued by United States Major General Gordon Granger, June 19, 1865. The date of Granger's issuance of the order is now celebrated as Juneteenth.Photo courtesy of National Archives/Getty Images

That was the date in 1865 when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce that slavery had been abolished. Texas was the last state where it was being practiced, and communications being what they were at the time, word had not reached there until then.

President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation September 22, 1862, and it took effect January 1, 1863, freeing slaves in all states that had seceded and joined the Confederacy — not that it was possible to enforce it universally, as the Civil War would continue nearly two and a half years longer. Gen. Robert E. Lee, the top Confederate commander, surrendered in April 1865, but Confederate forces in the west kept on fighting, finally surrendering on June 2. By then, many Southerners had brought the people they held in slavery to Texas, considered out of the reach of the Union Army.

Granger "had no idea that, in establishing the Union Army's authority over the people of Texas, he was also establishing the basis for a holiday, 'Juneteenth' ('June' plus 'nineteenth'), today the most popular annual celebration of emancipation from slavery in the United States," historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. wrote in an essay published a few years ago on The Root and PBS.org.

How was Juneteenth initially celebrated?

Black History posters in Kelly Ingram Park for the Juneteenth Celebration in June 2008 include posters for Angela Davis, Martin Luther King Jr, the Black Panthers, BB King, and Fannie Lou HamerBlack History posters in Kelly Ingram Park for the Juneteenth Celebration in June 2008 include posters for Angela Davis, Martin Luther King Jr, the Black Panthers, BB King, and Fannie Lou Hamer.Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Life remained brutal for formerly enslaved Black people in Texas and elsewhere long after the end of the Civil War. In Texas, some slaveholders didn't deliver the news to the people they held in bondage or simply failed to treat them as free, even though Granger's proclamation said former slaves should be considered "hired labor" and paid wages. African Americans who left their former masters were often hunted down and killed. The post-Civil War era known as Reconstruction allowed African Americans to exercise some political and economic rights, including voting and running for office. But the end of Reconstruction in 1877, with the withdrawal of federal troops from the South, meant there was no longer enforcement of any laws conferring those rights. Black people were disenfranchised, and many had to work as sharecroppers on the plantations where they had been enslaved. Racism was enshrined in laws, and lynching — the murder of Black Americans for any perceived transgression — became common.

But Black Americans persevered. In 1866, those in Texas celebrated the first anniversary of Juneteenth. The observances became a fixture in Texas over the succeeding years, with celebrants dressing in their finest clothes and gathering for a feast along with games, religious services, speeches, and political organizing. When white officials banned access to certain public parks, Black residents established their own spaces.

African Americans in other parts of the U.S. sometimes celebrated emancipation on other milestone dates — September 22 or January 1 for the Emancipation Proclamation, January 31 for Congress's passage of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, abolishing slavery throughout the nation (a few states that allowed slavery had not seceded and were therefore not affected by the Emancipation Proclamation), or a few other dates. But as Black Texans migrated to other states, they brought the Juneteenth tradition with them — plus the date was one that usually promised good weather for outdoor events.

Juneteenth observances waned somewhat by the mid-20th century, as a romanticized, hugely inaccurate view of the antebellum South had spread through the nation, and racist laws and attitudes endured. But interest in the date was renewed in the 1960s with the civil rights movement. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had been planning a Poor People's March, highlighting class inequality, at the time of his assassination in April 1968. His colleagues went ahead with the plan, but the march was not as large as they had hoped, so they ended it ahead of schedule — on June 19, 1968. That brought new attention to the date's significance, and since then Juneteenth has been celebrated widely.

How did Juneteenth become a federal holiday?

A nine-foot statue of former Texas Rep. Al Edwards, who proposed the 1979 legislation to make Juneteenth a paid Texas State holiday, is erected on the grounds of Ashton Villa.Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

It was a state holiday first. Texas passed a bill in 1979 making it a state holiday; the bill's champion was Rep. Al Edwards, who became known as "Mr. Juneteenth." More than 40 other states and the District of Columbia went on to give Juneteenth some form of recognition, but few had made it a paid holiday.

Then in 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill into law establishing June 19 as Juneteenth National Independence Day. The bill's leading sponsors included Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, and Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts. Before Kamala Harris became Biden's vice president, she had championed the action as a U.S. senator. Support for making Juneteenth a federal holiday had gained momentum after the widespread outrage over the murder of Black man George Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020. It was the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established in 1983.

Biden said signing the bill was "one of the greatest honors I will have as president." He noted that Opal Lee, an activist who had pushed tirelessly for the move, was present at the ceremony, and he pointed out that establishing the holiday was merely a step toward equality. "We can't rest until the promise of equality if fulfilled for every one of us in every corner of this nation. That to me is the meaning of Juneteenth," Biden said.

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