From intern to political communications – Trinidad and Tobago national working in the White House

MOST Trinidad and Tobago immigrants never know where life will lead them or what work they will do, but the last place Khanya Brann expected to land a job was in the White House, home to the president of the US.

“Oh, President (Joe) Biden just walked by,” Brann said on a WhatsApp call in mid-December as she co-ordinated an interview planned for her week-long Christmas vacation in Trinidad.

Spotting President Biden never got old, and the excitement in Brann's voice outweighed any possible worries about an uncertain future as Biden’s presidency neared its conclusion. Brann will move on.

In many ways, Brann, 28, has never stopped moving. When asked where she’s from, she says without hesitation, “Trinidad.” She was born in London, lived there for a year; moved to Montreal, Canada for a year; and then to Mt Hope, Trinidad for seven years, where she attended St Xavier’s Private School in St Joseph. Her family moved back to Montreal for another year, and then to the US. Her dad Stacey’s job as a surgeon kept the family moving.

In 2009, when she was nine, the family moved to Elkins Park, 20 minutes from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She studied journalism at Temple University and graduated in May 2019.

“I wanted to be a feature writer and work at the Philadelphia Enquirer, but they weren’t hiring,” said Brann.

The Biden campaign headquarters in Philadelphia was hiring, so Brann joined as a paid communications intern for US$15 an hour in July 2019.

It was a fast-paced, exciting job that required organisational and communication skills.

“It involved a lot of media monitoring, compiling media lists and daily media clips and transcribing Biden’s speeches,” said Brann.

“When Biden began his bid for the presidency, there was a lot of work to do from the ground up. It was fun, certainly stressful, and a steep learning curve because I had no political experience. I got a good foundation for the work I do now.”

The internship lasted from July-November 2019. From January-July 2020, Brann worked as a communications fellow at Philly Counts – a project connected to the city’s census.

"We needed to make sure everyone got counted in that census to get a clear idea of programmes needed.”

After that, Brann landed once again on the Biden/Harris campaign as a communications associate for the state of Pennsylvania.

On New Year’s Eve, 2019, Brann was at home with her family when she got a text from Kate Bedingfield, the White House communications director, asking if she was interested in working at the White House.

“I said, ‘Yes, absolutely.’ When I showed the message to my mom (Karen), she was speechless.”

Brann became a senior communications assistant and special assistant to Bedingfield in January 2020 when he moved to Washington, DC, and into a White House office just a few steps from the Oval Office where Biden worked.

And still,she was on the move, working for the Environmental Protection Agency as deputy press secretary for a year. At the end of October 2023, she returned to the White House to join the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs as a senior communications adviser.

Brann had quickly climbed the ranks in political communications.

“It’s been good. I have been lucky. I had a lot of opportunities to grow and learn with good mentors and managers.”

Her work often involved travelling across the US to highlight Biden/Harris social programmes.

“I worked with mayors, governors and tribal leaders.”

Much of that work dealt with housing, clean water initiatives and improving communication, bringing high-speed internet access to remote and underprivileged areas. She has had many memorable moments in her job.

“In Wisconsin, a family drank water from lead pipes for 40 years. Thanks to the Biden administration, they finally got those pipes replaced.
"When a family in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania got a home through a housing initiative, their 18-year-old son said, ‘This is the first time I lived in a house with a backyard.'
"We did a lot of work with veterans.”

She remembers a homeless veteran who finally got a house at 51.

“He said, ‘I never thought I’d be able to own something like this.’”

Brann says she has learned a lot in her job.

“Before I entered government, I didn’t understand how long it took to get things done. I know now how hard it is to make progress. Working from the inside, I see the legwork, the months of negotiations, language, phrasing and avenues of communication it takes so that an initiative resonates with enough people for it to make progress.”

As the Biden administration prepares to leave office, Brann says, “We built on a historic amount of progress we achieved over the last four years. It’s impressive how much we accomplished in the shadow of the pandemic. I’m proud we have the first black woman on the Supreme Court and the number of local judges President Biden appointed who are women, people of colour and Native Americans.”

When her current work ends, and she can catch her breath, Brann plans to move to New York. She doesn’t know what work she will do.

"I’m excited to see what the future holds. I want to devote time to short story writing. I enjoy reading short stories about belonging, identity and connections. Ultimately, I want to write and produce movies."

That doesn’t mean she’s closing the door to government work.

“Politics is something you can always return to in this world,” Brann said.

“There’s a lot of public/private in and out, and that’s good. It helps you understand how systems on both sides work.”

She had hoped for four more years to carry out Biden’s social programmes, but remains hopeful for the future.

“So here we are. This is the ride we’re on. This is what we sign up for when we give all of ourselves to this work and this mission. It can break your heart sometimes.
"I recently went to a party hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris, and she said, ‘Sometimes we have to hold joy and pain in the same hand at the same time.’ I will hold on to that thought. She reminded us the work continues. It never stops.”

Brann says she has learned that progress takes time.

"It’s not linear. This work requires an immense amount of patience, empathy and thinking beyond yourself. I’ve found my voice, honed my voice and my leadership skills.”

When she returns to Washington, DC, Brann will close off her work in the White House. She’ll cherish the memories.

“I had the opportunity to bring my parents to the White House for July 4 celebrations that honoured essential workers. As a surgeon, my dad is one of them. I saw his big, wide grin that day. It meant a lot to us as an immigrant family.
"We became citizens in 2017. The first time we could vote as a family was for Biden in 2020.”

She’s proud that her sister Dariya followed in her footsteps working as an intern in the White House Office of Scheduling and Advance, planning Biden’s trips.

“Everyone talks about how special it is to be a child of immigrants,” said Brann. “My parents left everything behind to make a better path for me.”

They instilled two important TT values in her: the importance of education, and “always remember where you came from. Honour your roots,” Brann said.

January 6, 2025, will be Brann’s last official day in the White House.

Before she leaves, she says she will return to her first office in the West Wing near Biden’s office. She’ll take a last look at the big mahogany desk where she worked and remember the remarkable journey she took to get there.