Karine Jean-Pierre named as first Black W.House press secretary
US President Joe Biden on Thursday named Karine Jean-Pierre as the next White House press secretary, the first Black person to hold the high-profile post.
Jean-Pierre, will replace Jen Psaki, under whom she served as deputy, from May 13.
Biden in a statement praised Jean-Pierre's "experience, talent and integrity," saying he was "proud" to announce her appointment.
"She will be the first black woman to serve as the White House Press Secretary," Psaki tweeted after the announcement.
"Representation matters and she will give a voice to many, but also make many dream big about what is truly possible."
The outgoing press secretary, who said from the outset that she would step down during Biden's term, is due to join MSNBC, according to US media reports.
Jean-Pierre, 44, worked on both of former president Barack Obama's campaigns in 2008 and 2012 and then on Biden's campaign in 2020 before joining Biden's team at the White House.
She also served under Biden during his tenure as Obama's vice president.
Jean-Pierre was previously Chief Public Affairs Officer for liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org and worked as a political analyst with NBC and MSNBC, the White House statement said.
Raised in New York, French-speaking Jean-Pierre was born in Martinique to Haitian parents who emigrated to the United States, where her father drove a taxi and her mother worked as a cleaner.
