One would think that having the first Black Vice President in office, the White House would be a positive place to work for Black staffers and aides. One would have to think again, because now they have ‘Blaxit.’
21 Black staffers have left the White House since December, reports the Daily Mail. So many have left, in fact, that some staffers are even calling the mass departure ‘Blaxit’ or ‘Black Exit.’ Of those who remain, they say they can understand why so many have left, describing “a work environment with little support from their superiors and fewer chances for promotion,” reports Politico.
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Some of those who have departed have done so on good terms, including to further their education, to take other positions, because of low pay or for family reasons. Politico reports, however, that “[t]hree Black staffers who currently work in the White House — and were granted anonymity because of fear of reprisal — said the exodus has hurt morale, compounding problems that exist elsewhere. They described an operation in which mentorship is hard to come by and opportunity to move up the ranks of a tight-knit operation is exceptionally rare.” One said, “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. There is no real feedback and there’s no clear path to any kind of promotions.”
The first to leave was Vice President Kamala Harris’ chief spokesperson Symone Sanders who left in December 2021 and took a job at MSNBC. Next out were Harris senior aides Tina Flournoy, Ashley Etienne, and Vincent Evans, as well as her public engagement head Cedric Richmond. Does anyone see a pattern yet?
One Black White House official pointed out, “[y]hey brought in a ton of Black people generally to start without ever establishing an infrastructure to retain them or help them be successful. 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.”
It seems like there could be a diversity problem at the White House. It’s almost as if they wanted to pile as many Black people in as possible, with nary a thought toward making it a successful place for them to work. Joe Biden has shown a clear habit of trying to appease the liberals, by choosing people for positions based first and foremost on the color of their skin, and their gender. Is this a good way to choose employees, especially in a place as important for the country as the White House?
