White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made history on Wednesday, becoming the first openly gay woman and only the second Black woman to ever lead a White House press briefing, reports the Huffington Post.
Answering reporters’ questions from the White House podium on Wednesday, Jean-Pierre said it was a “real honor just to be standing here today” and that she appreciated the “historic nature” of the moment.
“It’s not about one person, it’s about what we do on behalf of the American people,” the deputy press secretary said, adding that “clearly” President Joe Biden “believes that representation matters” and that she was proud to be part of the most diverse administration in U.S. history.
In addition to being the first openly gay spokeswoman to answer reporters’ questions from the podium, Jean-Pierre became the first Black woman in three decades to do so.
The first Black woman ever to lead a White House briefing was Judy Smith, who did so in 1991 as deputy press secretary to former President George H.W. Bush.
