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Black Americans

This topical research guide contains links to Finding Aids on open record collections related to Black Americans during the Clinton administration. Material on the folder or document level can be found by searching the Clinton Digital Library. Additional resources will be added as more collections are processed and released. Language used in this research guide attempts to follow guidelines from the Archivist’s Task Force on Racism. Many of the Finding Aids listed in this research guide were created before these guidelines were issued.  This guide uses the terminology “African American” (in quotes) when Finding Aids used this same terminology.

Black Appointees

When compared to earlier presidential administrations, the Clinton administration appointed the most diverse cabinet and administration in American history; Black appointees included:

  • Jocelyn Elders 

    • First Black Surgeon General (1993-1994) 

      • Topics of interest may include: civil rights.

  • Eric Holder

    • First Black Deputy Attorney General in the Department of Justice (1997-2001)

      • Topics of interest may include: Presidential Call to Action and Racial Justice and Diversity, the President’s Race Initiative, the President’s appointment of a more diverse body of federal judges and attorneys, and equality.

Black Staffers

Collections created by some of the Black staffers that worked in the Clinton White House include the records of Alexis Herman, Ben Johnson, Maggie Williams, Terry Edmonds, and Minyon Moore. 

  • Alexis Herman

    • Director of the Office of Public Liaison (1993-1997)

      • Topics of interest may include: affirmative action, Black leadership, Black organizations and outreach, Black business, civil rights, holidays honoring Blacks, and Black women.

  • Robert B. “Ben” Johnson 

    • Associate Director in the Office of Public Liaison and Special Assistant to the President for Outreach to the African-American Community (1993-1998 ) 

    • Director of the White House Office on the President's Initiative for One America (1999-2000) 

  • Maggie Williams 

    • First Black Chief of Staff in the First Lady’s Office (1993-1997)

      • Topics of interest may include: Black organizations, “African Americans”, affirmative action, Black church burnings, and Black history. 

  • Terry Edmonds 

    • First Black Chief Speechwriter in a presidential administration

    • Presidential Speechwriter (1995-1997)

    • Deputy Director of Speechwriting (1997-1999)

    • Director of Speechwriting (1999-2001)

      • Speech topics of interest may include: race relations, Black organizations and outreach, civil rights, One America, Black church burnings, and hate crimes.

  • Minyon Moore 

    • Deputy Director of Political Affairs (1997-1998) 

    • Director of Public Liaison (1998-1999) 

    • Director of Political Affairs (1999-2001) 

      • Topics of interest may include affirmative action, “African-Americans”, civil rights, hate crimes, the President’s Initiative on Race, and Black organizations and outreach. 

The “Additional Information” section of this guide links to more material on Black appointees during the Clinton administration.

Topics related to Black Americans

Finding Aids and digitized collections on topics related to Black Americans, race, or issues that affected marginalized communities during the Clinton administration include:

  • Affirmative action

    • Topics of interest may include: the Affirmative Action Review Team, civil rights, the Adarand decision, affirmative action and women, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or EEOC, and federal agency review.

  • Civil Rights Series of Stephen Warnath 

    • Topics of interest may include: the Civil Rights Working Group, affirmative action, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or EEOC, discrimination, and church burnings.

  • Crime Legislation

    • Topics of interest may include: equality, racial justice, the Racial Justice Act, and the Congressional Black Caucus.

  • Fair housing

    • Topics of interest may include: the enforcement of fair housing laws, equity in housing, and housing discrimination.

  • Human rights

    • Topics of interest may include: "African-Americans" and discrimination.

  • Lani Guinier

    • Topics may include: the withdrawn nomination of Lani Guinier as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.

  • One America 

    • Topics of interest may include: the President’s Initiative on Race, correspondence with Black organizations, slavery, Black poverty, hate crimes, and women’s outreach.

  • Proposition 209

    • Topics of interest may include: affirmative action and this 1996 proposition to prohibit "preferential treatment...on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin" in California's public sector.

Additional Information

  • Clinton Administration History Project

    • Jesse Brown

      • First Black Secretary of Veteran Affairs (1993-1997)

    • Lee Brown

      • Black Director for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (1993-1996)

    • Ron Brown

      • First Black Secretary of Commerce (1993-1996)

    • Mike Espy

      • First Black Secretary of Agriculture (1993-1994)

    • Rodney E. Slater

      • First Black Director of the Federal Highway Administration (1993-1997)

      • Second Black Secretary of Transportation (1997-2001)  

    • Togo D. West Jr

      • Second Black Secretary of the Army (1993-1998)

      • Second Black Secretary of Veteran Affairs (1998-2000)