Quick Hit: Black women in the Obama administration
From the Washington Post:
Many are firsts -- as in the first black woman to run the Domestic Policy Council, the first black EPA chief and the first black woman to be deputy chief of staff. Last week, Obama tapped Margaret (Peggy) Hamburg to lead the Food and Drug Administration. If confirmed, Hamburg -- who is biracial (her mother is African American, her father Jewish) -- will also be a first.Seven of about three dozen senior positions on President Obama's team are filled by African American women. Veterans in town see them as part of the steady evolution of power for black women, not only in the White House but also across the country -- in the business world, in academia, in policy circles.
Read the rest here.
Thanks to Jessica for the link
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I liked this article and of course, am excited to see this great news...but I'm curious to know if I am alone in feeling a bit disappointed that it was in the Style section. Maybe I'm being too sensitive, but I think it would be better to see this on the front page. Important stories about women are often relegated to the Style section. Thoughts?
No, you're not alone. It is belittling to the subject matter and it assumes that only women should read this story (as those reading the Style section are probably mostly women).
I am also excited about this, of course...but my nitpick with the article is: "If confirmed, Hamburg -- who is biracial (her mother is African American, her father Jewish)...". Apparently the author is under the wrong old assumption that Jewish is a race...which it is NOT. The idea that it is a race is age-old anti-Semitic propaganda, and it irritates me when people give in to the idea (though I recognize that it can be out of total ignorance rather than anti-Semitism).
Now, if her father is a white Jew, ok - then why not say, "Her father is white"? There are African-American Jews...there are Jews of all races and ethnic backgrounds. She is not biracial because her father is Jewish, she's biracial because her father isn't African-American.
I, for one, am glad to see this happen. Between this and Obama's establishment of the council for women and girl's, I have high hopes for what he may accomplish and what sort of changes may come along.