While the day might have been overcast with a touch of dampness in the air, there was nothing but warmth at the celebration of life for Alexis M. Herman — the first African American to serve as U.S. Secretary of Labor — at the Washington National Cathedral in Northwest D.C. on May 14.
“I had the pleasure of knowing Alexis for 40 years as both the executive director of the North Carolina Democratic Party and as a longtime member of the Democratic National Committee,” Everett B. Ward told The Informer minutes before Herman’s memorial started. “Alexis was strategic in her thinking and constantly mentoring people to become political leaders. She always stressed service before anything. She was a great mentor, and she will be missed.”
Ward, a former president of St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh, North Carolina, was among the hundreds of people, including former President Bill Clinton, who filled the Cathedral to memorialize Herman in light of her death on April 25.
Clinton, 78, said Herman was critical to his successful run for president in 1992.
“Throughout her career,” the former president said, “Alexis worked on empowering other women and strengthening families.”
Donna Brazile, a former chair of the Democratic National Committee and a television political commentator, summed up Herman’s life and many contributions during her 77 years on earth.
“The life and legacy of Alexis Herman is one who climbed stairs and helped others climb stairs, too,” said Brazile.
Herman: A Barrier Breaker, ‘A Builder of Bridges‘
A Mobile, Alabama native, Herman was a barrier breaker.
At the age of 29, she became the youngest person to lead the U.S. Labor Department’s Women’s Division for President Jimmy Carter. Two decades later, in 1997, she made history as the first African American to lead the U.S. Labor Department.
Further, Herman was a force with the National Council of Negro Women and was mentored by its late chair and president emeritus Dr. Dorothy Height.
Herman also played a key role in the groundbreaking presidential campaigns of the Rev. Jesse Jackson in 1984 and 1988. Jackson’s sentiments were articulated by his son, U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Illinois).
“She was a builder of bridges,” said Congressman Jackson, 59. “She laid down tracks not of steel but of freedom. She walked by her dear friend and my father, Reverend Jesse Jackson, as he lifted high a dream that many thought impossible—that an African American could aspire to be the president of this land. Children of slaves and those of slaveholders might move together toward a more perfect union. Alexis Herman helped hammer the nails and tie the rails.”
Clinton said Herman talked about an issue early during his presidency that has become important presently: the Family Leave Medical Act, which was signed into law in February 1993 and allows employees to take time off—sometimes paid—to take care of personal responsibilities regarding a loved one. Herman was the assistant to the president and director of White House Public Engagement when Clinton signed the bill.
“I found a memo that she wrote,” he said. “It recommended that the first thing we do was to push the passage of the Family Leave Medical Act.”
The former president also emphasized that Herman was not afraid to speak her mind when the situation called for it.
“Anyone who knows Alexis,” he said, “knows she wasn’t about to run away from anything.”
‘A Standing Ovation to God for Giving Life to Alexis‘
The eulogy was delivered by the Rev. Leah D. Daughtry, who considered Herman a mentor and was proud of the late secretary as a fellow member of Delta Sigma Theta.
“I am asking everyone to give a standing ovation to God for giving life to Alexis,” said Daughtry. “The transition of Alexis is very emotional, but I have unshakeable faith. That is what I am holding on to.”
Daughtry recalled meeting Herman in 1988 during the second Jackson presidential campaign.
She spoke of her pride in joining Herman at the Labor Department and how the secretary helped her manage Democratic conventions and other events for the party through the years.
“We walked many roads together,” Daughtry said. “She was my mother, my sister. She was my confidant.”
Among those attending the two-hour ceremony were former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton, National Urban League President Marc Morial, former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, and former HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge.
Kitty Chaney, a life member of the National Council of Negro Women and a fan of Herman’s also attended the ceremony and was moved by the program.
“All of those years, Alexis encouraged us,” said Chaney, a resident of Silver Spring, Maryland. “She said as we progress, we should always do it with a sweet spirit. I will miss Alexis.”
