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Alexis Herman was born on July 16, 1947, in Mobile, Alabama. Her father, politician Alex Herman, became Alabama's first black ward leader. The Ku Klux Klan assaulted him when Alexis was five years old.
Herman attended Heart of Mary High School. As a sophomore, she was suspended for questioning the diocese's exclusion of black students from religious pageants in which white students participated. Following a week of objections from the parents of Herman's fellow black classmates, she was re-admitted.
Alexis Herman attended HBCU Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, where she became an active member of the Gamma Alpha Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 1969.
Herman’s early career was dedicated to advocating for workers' rights and promoting diversity and inclusion in the workforce. She worked in several positions that focused on advancing the rights of workers. She also worked on several Democratic presidential campaigns and other Democratic Party initiatives.
Herman was appointed as the Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton in 1997, becoming the first African American and fifth woman to hold the position. Under her leadership, the Department of Labor focused on initiatives to increase the minimum wage, improve workplace safety, and encourage diversity in employment practices. During her tenure, American unemployment was at its lowest level in decades.
Among Herman's responsibilities as secretary was the enforcement of child labor laws. She also oversaw two raises to the minimum wage and helped pass the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, which expanded workforce training for low-income Americans across the country.
Secretary Herman earned praise for her handling of the 1997 United Parcel Service (UPS) workers strike, the largest strike in the United States in two decades. She was an instrumental mediator in the talks, and the strike was settled after 15 days.
In addition to her work on labor issues, Secretary Herman was a vocal advocate for diversity and inclusion across various sectors. She paved the way for more inclusive workplaces and dismantled barriers that prevented minority groups from accessing equal employment opportunities.
The ongoing challenges in achieving workplace equity, fair wages, and safe working conditions underscore the importance of her contributions.
Secretary Alexis M. Herman died on April 25, 2025, at the age of 77.
Today In Black History
In 1863, Sarah Thompson Garnet became the first African American principal in the New York City public school system.
In 1983, Robert C. Maynard bought the Oakland Tribune, becoming the first Black person to own a major daily newspaper.
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important reminder. So important we don't ghettoize Black history to February only