by Julianne Malveaux
(TriceEdneyWire.com) – May we take a moment to mourn the passing of the Honorable Alexis Margaret Herman, the first African American woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of Labor. Nominated by President Bill Clinton, her confirmation was no easy feat. During her hearings, members of our beloved sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, packed the Senate chambers in our unmistakable red and white. We made a point—Black women are here, and we have her back. Ultimately, they succumbed to our presence, with 85 senators voting in her favor.
Alexis was a Southern belle, a velvet hammer. She exuded grace in every gesture, but make no mistake: grace was never to be confused with weakness. She embodied both elegance and grit—because who, without grit, could broker a resolution to a 15-day strike between UPS and its unionized workers? Package delivery had ground to a halt, and it was Secretary Herman who moved into the same hotel as Teamsters leadership and UPS executives. She shuttled between conference rooms, not trying to be graceful—just direct. And yet she was, unshakably so. That 1997, commerce-crippling strike? She settled it.
Alexis was grace—always grace—frequently seasoned with a Southern twang. “It’s not fay-ar,” she’d drawl when losing a card game. “It ain’t riiight,” she might say with a smile. Win or lose, she was always gracious, always quick with a pat on the shoulder, a generous hug. She was, indeed, the perfect protégé of her mentor, Dr. Dorothy Irene Height, the longest-serving President of the National Council of Negro Women.
Alexis took her Height legacy seriously. After leaving government, she founded consulting firms focused on diversity and minority hiring. She served on major corporate boards, including Coca-Cola and Exelon. She mentored hundreds of young professionals and helped them find meaningful paths forward. She was the glue that brought people together.
If you were lucky enough to attend a gathering at her warm, welcoming home in Northern Virginia, you didn’t just reconnect with friends and colleagues—you feasted, you celebrated milestones, you found community. And often, you saw Alexis pull someone aside for a quiet, intentional conversation. She brought people together because she was committed to the collective.
I never once heard Secretary Herman raise her voice, but I often saw her stand firm. She was grace, but she didn’t play. She was kind, but she didn’t roll over. Her circle of loyal friends and colleagues remained devoted because she herself was loyal—and always, always graceful.
I am among the many mourning the loss of the Honorable Alexis Margaret Herman, and among the many grateful for her legacy. At a time when labor is once again under attack, her steady, principled voice is sorely missed. She championed women’s empowerment—especially Black women’s empowerment. She worked tirelessly to convince corporate America that Black women were more than cooks and maids. She passed the baton to the next generation of Black women leaders, who will lift her name as they carry forward the work of progress.
Her passing is a national loss, but for me, it is also deeply personal. I first met her as an undergrad. She welcomed me to Washington, D.C. when I moved there in 1994. She graced me with her presence when I left Bennett College in 2012. She showed up for so many of my milestones—gracious, kind, supportive, and always amazing.
She will rest in grace and power. Her legacy is both a blessing and a lesson for all of us.
Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an author and DC-based economist. Juliannemalveaux.com.
