Rodericka Applewhaite, the new White House director of Black media, is working to connect Black Americans with the decisions and agendas coming down straight from the Oval Office that directly impacts 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 an environment in which many neglected and marginalized communities aren’t socially or politically enfranchised. 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.”
After graduating from George Washington University in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, Applewhaite went on to complete internships and community service opportunities for several advocacy organizations and down-ballot races. 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.
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 with Joe Biden‘s administration. She told us that Biden’s White House champions and prioritizes diversity and seeks to represent a majority institution that welcomes and incorporates the ideas and efforts of people from different communities to create substantial impact.
“Over all my years working on various campaigns, policy organizations, and firms, I’ve yet to cross a room that I felt would’ve been better served by having fewer perspectives in it – especially perspectives informed by the way one has had to navigate the world,” Applewhaite explained. “But diversity isn’t about numbers in columns, it’s about fostering an environment that empowers people to use their differences and varying backgrounds to add structure to the goals it is trying to achieve.”
Not only does Applewhaite directly liaise on behalf of the White House with members of the Black press, but she hopes to ultimately accomplish certain objectives, which are to diversify the types of stories Black Americans see day to day about their communities and strengthen the administration’s relationships with Black-owned and -led news outlets.
“At the White House, it is my sole focus to tell the story of what the policies and actions originating from this building mean for Americans who look just like me and have the same aspirations for themselves and those they care for as I do,” Applewhaite remarked. “To make that happen, I’m interacting directly with news sources for and by Black Americans. There are, of course, issue areas that disproportionately impact our community and deserve focus, but I want to showcase the meticulousness with which President Biden works to uplift Black Americans in every decision he makes.”
On that front, we spoke with Applewhaite about what the Biden administration is doing to address some core issue areas, especially concerning police brutality and voter suppression efforts in several states, that are depriving Black communities today of civil and constitutional rights.
While the George Floyd Policing Act failed to pass Congress in 2022, Applewhaite rehashed the executive order Biden signed that same year to create a national registry of officers fired for misconduct.
That order also features requirements for federal law enforcement agencies to ban chokeholds, restrict no-knock warrants, implement stronger use-of-force policies, mandate body cameras, and limit transfer of military equipment to local law enforcement agencies, along with other provisions to bolster effectiveness and accountability in police departments.
Additionally, as several states across the South are being ordered to redraw their congressional district maps to increase the voting power of Black citizens, Applewhaite says Biden is working at a federal level to preserve the integrity of the country’s elections.
In 2022, the Electoral Count Reform Act Biden signed established clear guidelines for certifying electoral votes and another executive order to direct an all-of-government approach to promote access to voting.
However, there are proposed pieces of legislation that Biden is urging Congress to pass, namely the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement, which would require certain jurisdictions to seek federal approval before making changes to their voting laws, and the Freedom to Vote Act to expand voter registration and voter access. Applewhaite says Biden is still fervently urging the House and Senate to pass these laws.
Applewhaite says that while she’s in her role, she hopes to create closer relationships between Biden Administration officials and Black news platforms and wants to assure Black Americans that their priorities are top of mind in the White House.
I’m fortunate to have the advantage of continuing this White House’s already strong relationship with Black press,” Applewhaite said. “It is my hope that the way I execute this role shows the importance of not only advocating for Black outlets to have access to top officials in this Administration, but also broadening the types of stories that Black audiences come into contact with.”
