Friday, 10 Oct 2025
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • DMCA
logo logo
  • World
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Economy
  • Tech & Science
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • More
    • Education
    • Celebrities
    • Culture and Arts
    • Environment
    • Health and Wellness
    • Lifestyle
  • 🔥
  • Trump
  • VIDEO
  • House
  • White
  • ScienceAlert
  • Trumps
  • Watch
  • man
  • Health
  • Season
Font ResizerAa
American FocusAmerican Focus
Search
  • World
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Economy
  • Tech & Science
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • More
    • Education
    • Celebrities
    • Culture and Arts
    • Environment
    • Health and Wellness
    • Lifestyle
Follow US
© 2024 americanfocus.online – All Rights Reserved.
American Focus > Blog > World News > First Black Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman dies at 77 : NPR
World News

First Black Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman dies at 77 : NPR

Last updated: April 26, 2025 7:30 pm
Share
First Black Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman dies at 77 : NPR
SHARE



Alexis Herman wears a red jacket over a black shirt and has a microphone pinned to her lapel as she speaks on a stage in Las Vegas in 2010.

Alexis Herman was tapped by former President Bill Clinton to serve as secretary of labor. Upon her confirmation in 1997, she became the first Black secretary of labor in American history. She is shown here in Las Vegas in 2010.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images


hide caption

toggle caption

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The first Black leader of the U.S. Department of Labor, former Secretary Alexis Herman, has died at the age of 77.

Former President Bill Clinton nominated Herman to the role, which she held from 1997 to 2001, following a career in social work, civil rights and Democratic politics.

“Hillary and I are deeply saddened by the loss of Alexis Herman, our friend of nearly fifty years,” former President Clinton said in a statement. “Our hearts and prayers are with her family and all who loved and admired her.”

Current Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement that Herman “was a trailblazer who dedicated her life to strengthening America’s workforce and creating better lives for hardworking families.”

Herman was born in Mobile, Ala., in 1947, at a time when Jim Crow laws imposed racial segregation and discrimination across the American South.

“The struggle for civil rights was a daily part of our lives,” Herman later testified to Congress.

Herman graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana, a Catholic and historically Black university in New Orleans. She later worked on school desegregation efforts in her hometown of Mobile. In 1977, when Herman was 29 years old, then-President Jimmy Carter selected her to lead the Women’s Bureau at the Department of Labor.

See also  The Black List, Onyx Collective Partner on Book-to-Film/TV Option Deal

In a 1977 interview with NPR, Herman described the bureau’s mission to serve women in the workplace.

“That means help women to get jobs,” Herman said. “That means to help women find out about opportunities for jobs. That means informing women of their rights if they’re being discriminated against.”

Herman went on to work on the 1988 presidential campaign of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, and in 1992, she became the first Black woman to hold the position of CEO of the Democratic National Convention before joining the Clinton administration.

“I believe that our lives are a gift from God. And what we do with our lives is a gift to God,” Herman said after receiving an award from the National Political Congress of Black Women in 1996. “I have been very blessed to have been used as an instrument for change in our ongoing collective struggle, for us as Black women, to say that we, too, ‘sing America.'”

At her confirmation hearing for secretary of labor, Herman received strong bipartisan support, including from staunch conservatives like former Republican Sens. Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby.

“I want workers to get and keep good jobs,” Herman said at the hearing. “I want working families to enjoy a rising standard of living. And I want workers and their families to have dignity and security throughout their lives.”


TAGGED:AlexisBlackDiesHermanLaborNPRSecretary
Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Crystal Palace vs. Aston Villa odds, prediction, time: Free 2025 FA Cup expert picks for Saturday, April 26 Crystal Palace vs. Aston Villa odds, prediction, time: Free 2025 FA Cup expert picks for Saturday, April 26
Next Article This Ancient Herb Is Trending For Health Benefits, But Beware The Risks : ScienceAlert This Ancient Herb Is Trending For Health Benefits, But Beware The Risks : ScienceAlert
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Popular Posts

Scientific American Editor Gary Stix Talks about His 35 Years of Editing the Magazine

Rachel Feltman: For Scientific American’s Science Quickly, I’m Rachel Feltman. It goes without saying that…

April 18, 2025

Arsenal’s friendly vs. Milan shows why Viktor Gyokeres could be the Gunners’ missing piece

Arsenal is gearing up for a crucial season after finishing second in the Premier League…

July 24, 2025

Gas Plants Have a Real Climate Problem. So Do Some Proposed Approaches for Addressing It. 

Addressing the Climate Crisis: Rethinking Methane Gas Power Plants Methane gas-powered plants have become a…

October 20, 2024

The One Big Beautiful Bill Will Supercharge Our Economy – The White House

The latest inflation report has provided a silver lining: prices are decreasing while wages are…

June 11, 2025

MIC DROP: Tulsi Gabbard Drops Truth Bomb on Deep State Corruption — Exposes 51 Intel Officials, Hillary Clinton, and the Democrat Party in Scorching Opening Statement |

Tulsi Gabbard made waves in Washington as she fearlessly exposed the deep-rooted corruption within the…

January 30, 2025

You Might Also Like

Secretary of War Hegseth Announces Record Military Recruitment Numbers for FY 2026: ‘Marine Corps Reenlistment Met Year-Long Goal in Only Two Weeks’ (Video) | The Gateway Pundit | by Margaret Flavin
Politics

Secretary of War Hegseth Announces Record Military Recruitment Numbers for FY 2026: ‘Marine Corps Reenlistment Met Year-Long Goal in Only Two Weeks’ (Video) | The Gateway Pundit | by Margaret Flavin

October 10, 2025
Cosplayers unite! Best looks as NYC Comic Con takes over Javits Center
World News

Cosplayers unite! Best looks as NYC Comic Con takes over Javits Center

October 10, 2025
California gubernatorial hopeful Katie Porter caught flashing icy glare at staffer in latest resurfaced meltdown
World News

California gubernatorial hopeful Katie Porter caught flashing icy glare at staffer in latest resurfaced meltdown

October 10, 2025
Federal judge blocks Trump’s Chicago National Guard deployment 
World News

Federal judge blocks Trump’s Chicago National Guard deployment 

October 10, 2025
logo logo
Facebook Twitter Youtube

About US


Explore global affairs, political insights, and linguistic origins. Stay informed with our comprehensive coverage of world news, politics, and Lifestyle.

Top Categories
  • Crime
  • Environment
  • Sports
  • Tech and Science
Usefull Links
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • DMCA

© 2024 americanfocus.online –  All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?