African American White House staffers leaving in mass "Blaxit": report

Photo taken on Feb. 21, 2022 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States.(Xinhua/Liu Jie)

"If there is no clear infrastructure of how to be successful, you become just as invisible in this space than you would be if you were not in it," says one official at the White House.

NEW YORK, June 2 (Xinhua) -- More than 20 Black aides at the White House have departed the Joe Biden administration since late last year, an exodus some have dubbed "Blaxit," reported Politico on Tuesday.

While some of the departing staffers have left on good terms to pursue additional career or educational opportunities, others have attributed the turnover to a lack of mentorship and opportunity.

"We're here and we're doing a lot of work but we're not decision-makers and there's no real path towards becoming decision-makers," one current staffer told the news portal. "There is no real feedback and there's no clear path to any kind of promotions."

They brought in many Black people generally to start without ever establishing an infrastructure to retain them or help them be successful, another current official said. "If there is no clear infrastructure of how to be successful, you become just as invisible in this space than you would be if you were not in it."

Some people have not had the best experiences and a lot of that has to do with the death of Black leadership, a former official agreed. "Think about any workplace. Black folks need some person to go to, to strategize and be a mentor, and we just don't have as many folks who can be mentors to us." ■