The strong women era in the States starts now
Kamala Harris offers hope that we can put the age of the Trump-style American strongman behind us
Ineed to begin with a warning. The following content contains an alarming amount of gushing. Sorry, not sorry.
It’s been a brutal time for left-of-centre politics from Brexit to Trump to Boris, so the US inauguration was a glimmer of hope in the sewage of life.
I was in political heaven. I loved seeing Joe Biden actually make it there. This isn’t an age gag.
To have made Trump a one-term president, and to have driven him to such rage that he revealed his true black heart, was a spectacular achievement.
I wept at Biden’s speech. Well-structured, lyrical and with a spot-on message. I didn’t even care he faltered over a few words; his human frailty made him look all the more right for this moment.
I adored the over-the-top campness of Lady Gaga, although I was hoping Bradley Cooper would pop up and they’d belt out Shallow. I also loved that even though Kamala Harris was now the most powerful woman in America, J Lo was like “Gurl, I’m in the white pant suit. Got it?”
Being a wise woman, Harris went for purple, evoking the memory of those on whose shoulders she stands like Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to run for president. When that nugget was disclosed, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. I know I live alone, but you get the point.
For me, and many others, the sight of the first woman and first person of colour getting sworn in as Vice-president of the free world was a special moment.
Women all over the world had tears running down their cheeks because after decades of trying and failing, the impossible had finally happened.
A woman was in the House and she ain’t doing the teas. My aunties and uncles in India were bursting with pride and the family Whatsapp group went into overdrive. The same pride will be shared by Jamaican families. Even my nine-year-old niece clocked it was a big deal after she consulted with Baby Yoda who she’s currently in a support bubble with. This was a moment that said progress can happen.
Harris has undeniable star power, is a precious asset and may well become the first female President. But like Biden, she faces huge challenges. She will be the obvious target, from a security point of view, for far-right Trump supporters.
She will be judged more harshly and constantly torn down by Republicans and conservative forces.
She will also be attacked by the left for failing to be radical enough. It’s a tough gig. She will have to forge a unique path and as any under-represented person who has been “lucky enough” to become a leader knows, she will have to be twice as good as any Vice-president who went before her, including her new boss.
She must command confidence though ruthless competence. She will have to excite but not incite if she wants a shot at the title. But if she’s had the gumption to get this far, I have confidence in her and all other great women that Biden has promoted. Watching Gaga, J Lo and Harris strut their stuff at the inauguration gave me hope that after the era of the American strongman, it’s finally time for some strong women to have a crack.