Diversity in the Cabinet

The composition of President Obama’s Cabinet during his first term represented the demographic diversity of the United States while recognizing talent beyond simply characteristics of gender, race or ethic origin. The diversity was one of the points of pride for the administration and its supporters.

That’s the reason for some worry as significant numbers of Cabinet members step down after being part of the government for the past four years. This type of turnover isn’t unusual from one presidential term to the next.

The intriguing thing in this case though is the wave of retirements announced are not accompanied by new nominations. At this moment, two Latino cabinet members, Hilda Solis and Ken Salazar, announced they were stepping down at the same time as did Hillary Clinton and Lisa Jackson, an African American, among others.

The only vacant positions for which nominations have been announced are for the positions of Secretary of State, Defense, and Treasury, which will be filled by – pending confirmation – John Kerry, Chuck Hagel and Jack Lew respectively.

The presence of women, Latinos and African-Americans in top positions within the government is critical because of the experiences they bring. Combined with their professional knowledge, their decisions take into account the experiences of all Americans.

This is not an issue of affirmative action nor quotas nor percentages. It is about seeking out the best and most skilled individuals to enrich the cabinet with distinctive perspectives that represents the diverse country in which we live. It is important that there are Latinos among the ranks. Let’s not forget how important the Latino vote was to Obama’s victory and how the community deserves fullest participation in this administration.

We hope that the second-term Cabinet continues with the talented diversity that marked its first four years.