Photo Courtesy Of WhiteHouse.gov
The Biden administration has witnessed Black White House staffers leaving their jobs en masse.
According to Politico, at least 21 Black staffers have left the White House since late last year because they felt their superiors weren’t supportive and, as such, there wasn’t any room for promotion, among other things. Many of its current Black employees have also been planning to leave soon for the same reason.
Staff members have been making an exodus in such a large number, that Black aides created the term “Blaxit” to describe their departures, a former White House official 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,” said a current Black White House official.
A former Black White House official said, “people have not had the best experiences, and a lot of that has to do with the dearth of Black leadership.” He/she added that Black staff members don’t have many people that can mentor them. “Think about any workplace. 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.”
Another current Black White House official noted that Black people typically start without establishing a foundation that would “help them be successful.”
“They 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.”
The first big exodus reportedly happened in December, when U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’ senior advisor and chief spokesperson Symone Sanders announced she was exiting the White House for a position at MSNBC. Then, Harris’ senior aides, Ashley Etienne, Tina Flournoy, Vincent Evans, and public engagement head Cedric Richmond parted ways with the Biden administration.
Shortly after their departures, other Black White House staffers followed suit for various reasons. One of them revealed that the salary was subpar, as the salary for an entry-level position is $48,000 annually.
“The pay in the White House is not traditionally very good, and a lot of Black folks in these roles don’t come from wealthy families,” another White House official said.
One of the biggest concerns, however, is that issues surrounding the Black community have no longer been at the top of the Biden administration’s priority list, another Black White House official said.
“The issues that are the highest priority for our community are no longer at the forefront of the administration’s priority list. 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?'”