Nearly two dozen black White House aides and staffers have left the Biden administration in an exodus some have called “Blaxit” amid ongoing frustrations with senior management, a new report claims.
Staffers feel as though the interests of the black community are not being respected, and some feel neglected by Joe Biden and senior staff, Politico reported today.
Among the many complaints, some officials say that there is no clear opportunity for advancement for black staffers, while others say that they do not receive enough personal attention or support from superiors, and others still say that the Biden administration is not doing enough to fulfill the promises it made to the black community.
Among high profile individuals to exit the Biden administration is Symone Sanders, Kamala Harris’ former senior advisor who left for a job at MSNBC.
Others include three other senior Harris staffers: Tina Flournoy, Ashley Etienne, Vincent Evans, and Cedric Richmond.
The Biden administration has also lost a public engagement aide, a gender police aide, a National Security Council senior director, a digital engagement director, a lawyer, two advisors to Joe Biden’s chief of staff Ron Klain – who is white – a press assistant, two National Economic Council aides, and three more presidential personnel aides.
At least two more black officials are planning to leave in the near future.
“Black folks need some person to go to, to strategize and be a mentor, and we just don’t have as many folks who can be mentors to us.”
– Former White House official who is black
“We’re here and we’re doing a lot of work but we’re not decision-makers and there’s no real path towards becoming decision-makers,” a current black employee told Politico. “There is no real feedback and there’s no clear path to any kind of promotions.”
Another former staffer said black employees “have not had the best experiences” and blamed “the dearth of black leadership.”
“Black folks need some person to go to, to strategize and be a mentor, and we just don’t have as many folks who can be mentors to us,” said the former official.
Politico and many former staffers the outlet spoke to pointed toward Biden’s previous promise to create a diverse staff. That goal was accomplished, but creating an environment where black staffers want to work and retaining them has proven more challenging, apparently.
“They brought in a ton of Black people generally to start without ever establishing an infrastructure to retain them or help them be successful,” said one current black official. “If there is no clear infrastructure of how to be successful, you become just as invisible in this space than you would be if you were not in it.”
Others, still, suggested that Biden has dropped the ball on issues that matter to the black community, and suggested that staffers should have been checked on after the shooting at a grocery store in a predominantly black Buffalo, New York neighborhood.
“The issues that are the highest priority for our community are no longer at the forefront of the administration’s priority list,” said a current black White House official. “When 10 Black people got killed at a grocery store [in Buffalo, N.Y.], it’s business as usual and no one stops to say to you, ‘Are you okay?’”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who reminded the press that she is black, lesbian, and an immigrant on her first day on the job, defended the exits and Biden’s track record with the black community.
“The president is incredibly proud to have built what continues to be the most diverse White House staff in history, and he is committed to continuing historic representation for black staff and all communities,” said Jean-Pierre.
