The White House is celebrating Black History Month with a convening of Black Cabinet members entitled ‘Making Black History’. The roundtable discussion will feature remarks from the six Black leaders in the President’s historic Cabinet and highlight the importance and significance of Black leadership in key policy areas. Participants include Secretary Lloyd Austin (DOD), Secretary Marcia Fudge (HUD), Administrator Michael Regan (EPA), Acting Director Shalanda Young (OMB), Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield (USUN), and Chair Cecilia Rouse (CEA).
Baud
?
WaterGirl
Does BHM stand for Black Health Matters?I guess it could also be about History, but then it seems like it should be MBH for Making Black History.Oh, duh. Black History Month.
Baud
@WaterGirl:
Black History Month, no? (I can’t watch, so I don’t know the context).
WaterGirl
@Baud: Yes, I finally figured that out. As I said in my edit above, duh.
OT, were you really maybe going to move to California, for real? Also I thought i saw a reference to your dog the other day. I did not know that you had gotten another pup since you lost yours.
WaterGirl
Starting now.
The top people in their field, no the top black people in their field.
WaterGirl
7 cabinet members, not 6, because we have to count Madame VP.
WaterGirl
Austin up first. Q: how did you get to where you are and did you see it?
WaterGirl
Austin. Awesome talent at this table. fortunate to be on the same team.
planned to stay in the army for 5 years, then get out. But he loved it in the army, being part of something bigger than himself. Passion. time and effort to be good at what he was doing.
Took the uniform off in order to join the Biden team. Fortunate.
Biden investment in diversity.
WaterGirl
Oh good, he is going to introduce everyone. I don’t know the man speaking right now.
WaterGirl
Next up: Ambassador
Q: Life of working in this area, Louisianna home girl, how did you get here, what moments had a big impact along the way.
Segregated HS, accepted into the louisiana state university after a law was passed that ordered them to take more black students. Awful 4 years not being wanted.
That experience helped her build on adversity muscles and move beyond that and see the experience as a positive one. Goal was law school, but ended up in grad school first opportunity to go to Africa. The rest is history.
35 years in foreign service, honored to join the cabinet.
Baud
@WaterGirl: Yes to both.
WaterGirl
Up next: Reagan at EPA
Q: how does it highlight the important role of having black people at the top of government and in positions of authority.
Parents : mom a nurse, father a veteran, public service critical.
attended a HBC because he wanted to get the investment in himself from people who looked like him.
studied environmental science. first job as intern at EPA. did not see a lot of people who looked like him, part of why he left. as he got nonprofit experience, he saw a lot of black people in leadership positions.
WaterGirl
@Baud: Tell me more about your dog, please. :-)
WaterGirl
Facilitator: You are all role models.
Q that everyone has to ask themselves at some point. Thermometer or thermostat?
Thermometer monitors the environment.
Thermostat monitors the environment and applies the action to change the environment to what they want it to be.
Important to be able to make a difference.
Q: Fudge
How do you see your life experiences about being at HUD with the ability to change the environment now?
church every sunday, bible school, as a kid learned that if you do the best you can and do all the right things, then you will be blessed to go where you need to go.
grew up believing that she could be whatever you chose to be
WaterGirl
I really thought there would be interest in this, but apparently not! Oh well.
Baud
@WaterGirl: Rescue. Small chihuahua mix. Likes to sleep on laps. Very sweet.
Baud
@WaterGirl:
I find it hard to watch videos during work hours. But I wouldn’t assume low comment activity means lack of interest. I appreciate it when these events are posted, even when I don’t have time to watch.
Hildebrand
@WaterGirl: I always appreciate when you post these kinds of events because I normally wouldn’t have known about them.
Thanks also for taking the time to also include summaries of the q&a – very helpful for when I can’t turn the volume up due to other folks around.
la caterina
I’m watching! It’s important to get to know our excellent cabinet members
H.E.Wolf
Seconded. I’m deep in a project today – and very grateful to have the live-blog summaries!
If this presentation is archived somewhere (White House website?), I’d be glad to watch it at a non-work time.
Thank you to WaterGirl for documenting that this event is taking place!
And now, my nose is back to the grindstone. :)
la caterina
Thanks for front-paging this, WaterGirl!
Brachiator
Sneaking a peek at this while I am on a work break.
I will come back to this later, but I think it is very cool. History is not just what happened in the past, but what happens today.
I knew the names of some of these appointees, but not much about their backgrounds.
WaterGirl
@Baud: Oh. little boy or little girl? Pup or already grown up? Are we allowed to know a name?
WaterGirl
Okay, I paused the video when it seemed like i was talking to myself, but I will eat my late breakfast/early lunch and then will live blog when I start watching again.
BC in Illinois
Like the others, I appreciate the video and the comments, but I’m going to have to come back to it later today.
I wouldn’t have known about it, if you hadn’t highlighted it.
Baud
@WaterGirl:
I’ve already said too much!
WaterGirl
@Baud: I am cursing you under my breath. Do you not understand the need for transparency from presidential candidates???
WaterGirl
More from Reagan at EPA.
In leadership positions it speaks volumes that minority people can be in leadership positions.
Black, brown, tribal disproportionately impacted by pollution. You need to see people in leadership.
WaterGirl
Fudge: public servant. never forgotten all the people she knows personally who live in public housing. so it’s personal for her to make a difference in the lives of people who got her where she is today.
WaterGirl
Ceci Rouse:
Q: how did you see where you wanted to go. dean at princeton, masters and phd from harvard. Not many people you could see who looked like you and tells us about the journey.
have to go back to my parents believing in power of education. parents worked really hard. dad phd physicist. parents participated in civil rights but they always encouraged us to set a sight and stay focused not hat sight.
interested in solving social problems. wanted to make the world a better place. mom encouraged econ class. dad research physicist so research came naturally for her. eyes on a bigger prize. loved it and passion and drive led her here.
became a professor but always wanted to make public policy. was in clinton whitehouse. the rest of it keeps going. lots of sacrifice, no vacations, working weekends. lots of luck too helped her get here.
WaterGirl
Moderator about Young
she controls all the budgets. show me your budget, show me your values. having an AA female from the south in this position highlights their values.
Q: Young at OMB
when little kid, thought she was rich, she didn’t know they were of modest means. lots of self pride, owned a store, grandma went to college in the 40s, first women BB team.
grew up in a powerhouse, what doing now is an extension of that. never followed money but followed what she enjoyed.
2007 moved from NIH to the hill. loved it all.
no education for an appropriations staffer. with a little luck… she likes to go through life thinking the higher power has her back. but others do the same and things don’t always work out for them.
frequent contact with a lot of the people around the table. honor to have this position.
WaterGirl
Q: who was the person who most motivated and inspired you – a public figure ?
Marsha Fudge
one person? Barbara Jordan? one father greatest lawyers in this country. understood the constitution and where we ought to be. lawyer b/c of Jordan. elected official, b/c of Jordan. she made us proud.
Ceci
Simmons? so smart, so humble, first black Pres of Ivy league. so wise, so warm and so believes in what she is doing.
Austin
Someone you thought really provided a service and risked it all and you saw yourself doing that?
Display of humility in this room is striking. it’s genuine – he knows these people. It’s not what you would think but people who have achieved so much aren’t always humble.
do what you love, support of family.
role models but the first tough thing was go to west point so henry o flipper, first AA grad west point, also from austin’s home town.
what he had to go through and sacrifices were extraordinary. along the way other role models later.
WaterGirl
Shifting gears.
Q to Reagan: to have a Pres so focused on equity who is not afraid to talk about systemic racism, you are charged to do amazing things with infrastructure bill, why is it important to have black people at the top levels of government.
Representation is important. It’s personal. quality of air, quality of water, basic rights that every one every child deserves. so it’s personal. needs an inhaler on a bad solution day.
our communities bear the brunt of past transgressions. fits very well with justice equity and inclusion.
rising tide that lifts all boats. black leadership and diversity extremely important. leadership should represent the peope it represents.
Q: Lead pipes, how important is it to you that you are gonna be the man who removed the lead pipes?
lots of responsibility but also great joy to know that he will be the person to get it done. labor of love.
billions of $ to replace lead pipes. there is no acceptable level of lead for adult or child. black kids at or below poverty 4x more likely to have detectable levels of lead in their system. domino effect on black contributions to society.
leadership starts at the top.
WaterGirl
Fairness, justice, equity and inclusion.
Biden gave us the charge for that.
WaterGirl
Q: to Marsha Fudge
got exec order first week in office. she was charged with rooting out systemic recision in housing.
home ownership was blocked out for many AA, now how does she do that?
I take great pride in talking about the president. that he recognized it. empowered her to do it.
in next couple weeks, report on bias of appraisal process. will shine a light.
created an environment where students now who are able to pay the rent but don’t have the money for a downpayment. Now they are paying the downpayments.
recalculating student debt so it’s no longer an impediment to getting a home.
black people kept out of the market with redlining, still today.
biden’s heart and mind in the right place, will be supportive
WaterGirl
Q to Ceci
we have made big gains this year. how do you look at that through the lens of equity. cutting black poverty has been phenomenal.
where were we when you got here, where are we now?
year pres took office 2021, 6.6 million jobs created, unemployment down the fastest in history, child poverty cut in half esp for black and chidden of color. american rescue plan first and foremost addressed the pandemic but also provided support for families and business. tremendous year for the economy.
challenges remain,particularly for black family and children of color. lead pipes and other investments are critical in tilting benefits to children of color. really need BBB to do this.
KSinMA
@WaterGirl: I watched and thought it was fascinating, and inspiring too. Thanks for posting it–I wouldn’t have known about it otherwise.
H.E.Wolf
Taking a brief break from today’s busy-ness to thank you again for posting and blogging this event.
High-quality hires. :) Thank you Joe Biden.
WaterGirl
@H.E.Wolf: I paused one hour in, with 30 minutes to go. My fingers were getting tired. Literally! When I watch the rest I’ll add more comments. :-)
DB11
@WaterGirl: Appreciate your efforts in front-paging / blogging this.
I concur with previous commenter that suggested the paucity of comments didn’t necessarily reflect a lack of interest.
Interesting discussion.
Travels with Charley
I agree with all previous comments! This was fascinating and I appreciate the live blog, because watching in real time not possible. Thank you WaterGirl!