Biden nominations broaden Black women’s leadership roles

By Charlene Crowell
Guest Columnist

The selection of California Senator Kamala Harris to join and then win the nation’s Vice-Presidency gave unprecedented hope to Black women across the nation. Not only had a woman broken a glass ceiling in professional development; she was also Black and a graduate of Howard University, one of the nation’s premier Historically Black Institutions.

In recent days, however, two more significant nominations by President-Elect Joe Biden signal that the presence of Black women in the new administration is expanding in other ground-breaking roles. If confirmed by the Senate, Cecilia Rouse, a renowned economist will become the first Black woman to chair the nation’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) and Ohio’s Rep. Marcia Fudge, a former Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus will become the second Black woman in 40 years to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Never before in the nation’s history have three Black women served in these three key posts. Moreover, as Black America seeks more fairness, inclusion and equity with a new White House, these appointees are well-respected and ably qualified to serve in their respective roles.

Nominated on November 30, to serve as CEA’s Chair, Cecilia Rouse is the current Dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), and a former CEA member during the Obama Administration. Earlier. she additionally served as a Special Assistant to President Bill Clinton, serving in his National Economic Council.

As the Ivy League school’s Katzman-Ernst Professor in Economics and Education and public affairs, she is also the founding director of the Princeton Education Research Section, a member of the National Academy of Education, the Brookings Institution and a member of the editorial board of the American Economic Journal, focusing on economic policy.

Rouse joined Princeton in 1992, after earning her undergraduate and Ph.D. degrees in economics from Harvard University, and has led SPIA since 2012.

Similarly, on December 11, President-Elect Biden nominated Ohio’s Rep. Marcia Fudge to lead HUD. Also subject to Senate confirmation, Rep. Fudge will lead housing efforts to make bold investments in homeownership and access to affordable housing for low-income consumers, many of whom are Black, Brown and Native Families, according to the Biden-Harris transition. This effort will also mirror the over-arching Biden-Harris pledge to create “[a]n economy where Black, Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and Native American workers and families are finally welcomed as full participants.”

Elected to Congress in 2008, Rep. Fudge has represented Ohio’s 11th District that includes 32 cities, suburbs and towns in Ohio’s Cuyahoga and Summit Counties, including Cleveland, Akron and Euclid. She is also a past Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Prior to her election to Congress, she served in the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, and broke racial and gender barriers as the mayor of Warrensville Heights. As its mayor, she focused on revitalizing both a sagging retail base and new residential construction.

A lawyer by training, Congresswoman Fudge is a graduate of Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall School of Law, and earlier earned her bachelor’s degree in business from The Ohio State University. She is a Past National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and a member of its Greater Cleveland Alumnae Chapter.

Numerous housing stakeholders also expressed support for the Fudge nomination including top industry leaders like the Mortgage Bankers Association, and the National Association of Home Builders. This corporate support is matched by that of lawmakers, consumer and affordable housing advocates as well.

This article originally published in the December 21, 2020 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.