Southeast Queens native Karine Jean-Pierre made history when she became the first openly gay woman to deliver the White House briefing on Wednesday, May 26.
Jean-Pierre, 43, also became only the second Black woman in history to take to the lectern in the White House’s James S. Brady Press Briefing Room during the televised session.
Jean-Pierre, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, was raised from the age of 5 in Queens Village. Her father was a cab driver and her mother was a health care worker. She initially received her MPA from Columbia University in 2003 and went on to work on the John Edwards campaign during his 2004 presidential run. She gained further attention in 2008 when she served as the political director for the White House Office of Political Affairs during the Obama administration.
