Born in Martinique to Haitian parents and brought to the United States as a toddler, Karine Jean-Pierre grew up with the assumption she’d land on one of three career paths. “I was told that there are three [trajectories] for people who come from an immigrant household: doctor, lawyer or engineer,” she explains. Even through the undergrad years, Jean-Pierre studied pre-med before ultimately pivoting to pursue a master’s degree in public administration at Columbia University.
It was during this phase that Jean-Pierre, now senior advisor and national spokesperson for political group MoveOn.org, first met mentors in her field-to-be. David Dinkins, the first African-American mayor of New York City, and the political science professor Ester Fuchs inspired Jean-Pierre to pursue politics in a big way. “It was never a career that I thought I was going to land in,” says Jean-Pierre, “But my mentors said, ‘Why don’t you go into politics – help change policy, help make a difference?’” It resonated.
Over the course of Jean-Pierre’s career, she’s dedicated herself to championing progressive causes. In her current role at MoveOn.org, she works to supports mobilization tactics for progressivism, social justice, sustainability and equality.
Change, hope and a place in history
After graduate school, Jean-Pierre spent two years working for members of the New York City Council before moving to Washington DC to work on issues-based campaigns. “I wanted to do national politics,” she says of the relocation. “I had this ambition to do what I set out to do, which is to make change.”
To accomplish her lofty goals, she set her sights on working at the White House. Her path there took her through four states (North Carolina, South Carolina, back to New York and eventually to Illinois), working for politicians like John Edwards, and then to the role of regional political director for the general election campaign of the then senator Barack Obama.
“I wanted to be part of making history, part of electing the first African American president,” she says. When Obama secured the nomination and later the presidency, Jean-Pierre was invited along for the ride. She became a White House liaison in the Department of Labor, and later worked in the White House Office of Political Affairs and on Obama’s re-election campaign as a deputy battleground states director. She then pivoted to the consulting world, doing some work for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) before coming on board at MoveOn.org as a senior advisor and then as a national spokesperson.
MoveOn.org and political activism
In her current work with MoveOn.org, Jean-Pierre finds herself in the public eye frequently – on television, social media and on stage at rallies and protests. She thinks of her role as an opportunity for amplification – a chance to give voice to people who feel they don’t have one. In two years at MoveOn.org, she’s found inspiration in the willingness of people to come together and rally for progressive causes. To date, MoveOn.org has had a hand in events ranging from the 2017 Women’s March to nationwide protests over the 2017 travel ban to, more recently, displays of solidarity over the Trump administration’s controversial family separation policy at the US border. Earlier this year, MoveOn.org and its “allies,” as Jean-Pierre calls the organization’s supporters, helped bring approximately 400,000 people together across more than 700 cities to protest family separations.
“The majority of people are all in; they’re awake,” says Jean-Pierre. “They are realizing that we have to fight.”
“The activism level that we’ve seen these past two years ... I don’t think we’ve seen it at this level in a long time,” she continues. “The fight for equality and social justice, electing women of color, economic justice, a path to citizenship … we are on the right side of history and are running on issues that are mobilizing our base. I think that’s pretty incredible.”
Mobilizing for a brighter, more inclusive future
Jean-Pierre and MoveOn.org are currently involved in several initiatives in preparation for the 2018 midterm elections, including supporting female candidates and voters of color.
“We’re elevating black women – voters, elected officials and women running for office – through video and online content,” she explains. One such candidate is Stacey Abrams, a MoveOn.org-endorsed candidate running as a progressive voice in historically conservative Georgia. “Black women have been such an important part of the electoral bloc … I am sure they will be again in 2018,” says Jean-Pierre.
MoveOn.org is also spending approximately $15m on an electoral program in 2018, endorsing a hundred down-ballot candidates running for local office to make sure that representation is as diverse as possible.
“MoveOn.org is in every congressional district; we’re in all but three of the nation’s 3,000 counties,” says Jean-Pierre, noting that the organization now boasts more than 5 million members. For people who want to support MoveOn.org, Jean-Pierre says that the most impactful action is to lend your voice to the movement. “Your voice is your power,” she says. “It’s really as simple as that.” She suggests that supporters sign petitions, show up to protests and call or write letters to their legislators. People can also follow MoveOn.org on social media to stay apprised of rallies, protests and other galvanizing events. “Those are all effective ways for people to jump in,” she says.
Looking beyond the midterm elections, Jean-Pierre stands fiercely behind a message of hope for the future, motivated in part by her young daughter. “I do believe that there’s a future for social justice and progressivism,” she says. “I have a four-year-old. At the time [of the 2016 election], she was two … that’s what kept me in the fight: thinking about her and thinking what kind of country I want to leave her. When she asks me, 10 or 15 years from now, ‘What did you do? What were you doing when this was happening?’, I want to be able to tell her that I stood up and fought.”
To support MoveOn.org, donate here, sign up for email updates and lend your voice to the movement.