WASHINGTON – Shortly after President-elect Joe Biden’s victory last month, Cabinet hopeful Marcia Fudge pointedly noted that Black people are often typecast into positions such as housing secretary.On Friday, Biden announced Fudge, a prominent Black congresswoman from Ohio, was his nominee for that very role.
She was introduced alongside Biden’s pick for the job she initially sought, head of the Agriculture Department. That went instead to Tom Vilsack, a 70-year-old white man who already spent eight years in the position during the Obama administration.Those nominations highlight the competing priorities Biden is facing as he fills out the top ranks of his administration.