Source: Reach Media / Urban One
UPDATED: 2:50 pm EST April 30th, 2025
As we’ve come to understand year after year, day after day even, death is unfortunately an inevitable part of life. Still, as much of a fact as that may be, the blow of experiencing loss never gets any easier, nor does reporting on the subject in Black culture.
RELATED STORY: Rest In Power: Notable Black Folks Who We’ve Lost In 2024
Alexis Herman, who made history as the first Black secretary of labor in the United States, has passed away at age 77. A daughter of Mobile, Alabama, who rose above the confines of segregation, Herman’s life is a powerful testament to the possibilities within Black America. She broke barriers at every stage—from fighting for school desegregation in her hometown, leading the Women’s Bureau under President Carter at just 29, to becoming a trusted voice for workers, women, and our community on the national stage. When President Bill Clinton tapped her to lead the Department of Labor in 1997, she not only earned bipartisan support, but also shattered glass ceilings for future generations.
Herman’s energy and commitment to justice never dimmed. She fiercely advocated for civil rights, women’s rights, and the dignity of working families, declaring, “I want working families to enjoy a rising standard of living…dignity and security throughout their lives.” Those words weren’t just rhetoric; they were the blueprint she lived by, echoing in every initiative she led. Civil rights groups and labor leaders across the nation remember her as a trailblazer, a relentless ally, and a role model who encouraged young people—including Black women—to claim their place and lift their voices. Alexis Herman’s legacy isn’t limited to the halls of Congress or history books; it lives on in every Black woman and man who chooses to lead, advocate, and sing America’s song just a little louder.
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