Rodericka Applewhaite, the new White House director of Black media, is working to ensure that Black Americans are fully privy to how the decisions and agendas coming straight from the Oval Office impact their communities.
Applewhaite was hired as the director in November after spending years running communications and conducting research for several gubernatorial and senate campaigns.
She recounted how her childhood exposed her to the meager social and political empowerment many neglected and marginalized communities suffer. That exposure was integral in her pursuit of a political career.
“I’m a first-generation American of Panamanian and Guyanese descent who grew up in Carrollton, Georgia (a small rural town closer to the Alabama state line than Atlanta), raised by a single mom,” Applewhaite told Atlanta Black Star.
“That upbringing opened my eyes pretty early to how politics plays a role in your life whether you’re paying attention or not, and which communities suffer due to factors that keep them disengaged, disenfranchised, or both. I saw a career in politics as the perfect way to exercise my passion for equitable policies and institutions that also allowed me to retain a direct connection to the people I want to impact.”
Applewhaite graduated from George Washington University in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Even though her initial desired career path was law, she said that attending a school in the nation’s capital convinced her that a career in politics was possible. She went on to complete internships and community service opportunities for several advocacy organizations and down-ballot races.
Her position as the director of Black media has been around since 2009 and was first established by former President Barack Obama‘s first presidential campaign before the role was transferred into the White House to serve his administration.
Now, she’s carrying the legacy of the role forward…
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