Harris’ historic win brings overwhelming joy tomanywomen
As Kamala Harris makes history, I keep thinking of what she has endured to rise higher in our nation’s leadership than any woman before her.
That’s a mighty load for anyone, let alone a Black woman.
Yes, she’s the first woman, the first Black American and South Asian American in the office.
Harris acknowledged “women who fought and sacrificed so much for equality, liberty and justice for all” in her acceptance speech Saturday — “including Black women who are too often overlooked … but who are so often the backbone of our democracy.”
What she means is that despite being the most educated demographic in the United States in terms of associate and bachelor’s degrees earned, Black women are the least paid. We’re burdened with the “angry Black woman” label when we speak and are told to wait our turn, which languishes in time.
When Harris said confidently, “Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking,” during her debate with Vice President Mike Pence, every Black woman could relate.
Harris champions being heard and seen, and for that I find myself overwhelmed with joy. She embodies the things we hope our daughters will be — strong, smart, determined and unfazed by haters. That’s my wish for my own daughter.
Along the frenzied campaign trail, first as a presidential candidate and then as the Democratic vice
presidential nominee, Harris has made time for children of color. She hugged them, before we were socially distant, and she gets down on their level to talk to kids — children such as 4-year-old Urennaya “Ure” Unaka, who visited with Harris at her campaign stop in Houston last week.
“I had a picture that I took with her when I was 2,” Ure said. “I wanted to give it to her because I’m 4 now. I told her I can do hard things like her.”
Harris remembered taking that photo, she told Ure.
On Saturday, she walked out to Mary J. Blige’s “Work That” then told the nation: “Every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.”
She promised, and I believe her. Harris, 56, is the daughter of Black Jamaican father and Indian mother who told her that anything was possible. She honored her mother, the woman “most responsible for my presence here today.”
“When she came here from India at age 19, she maybe didn’t quite imagine this moment,” Harris said Saturday. “But she believed so deeply in America, where a moment like this is possible.”
Regardless of our political views, Harris’ win is a defining moment in the nation’s history. In addition to her ethnic background, she’s the first graduate of a historically Black university to serve in one of the country’s highest offices.
“The keenness of her intellect and her qualifications are unquestionable,” said U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who on Nov. 4 won her 14th term by a landslide. Like Harris, she is a product of immigrant parents and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha , the first historically African American sorority. It was founded in 1908 by students at Howard University, Harris’ alma mater. Today, there are more than 300,000 members.
Harris’ diverse background gives her a broader perspective of the world, and our nation, Jackson Lee added.
“She is ascending on the basis of her credentials. This gives the hope that we will build back this nation,” Jackson Lee said. “That is the uniqueness of her voice, and women will benefit from her presence, service and the power she gains. The world will be able to see American women shining through Kamala Harris.”
Undoubtedly, 2020 has been a year of incredible intensity, heartbreak and stress, with the coronavirus, economic woes and racial strife, but it also has been a year for women in politics.
Congress will have a record number of women next year. There are at least 130 women who have been elected or re-elected, surpassing the previous record of 127 set in 2019. Last year, Harris County elected 17 African American female judges.
“It’s the year of the woman at all levels of government,” said Tabitha Morton, Ph.D, an assistant professor of political science at Prairie View A&M University. “A lot of rhetoric that we saw thrown at Hillary Clinton for not being fit, it’s the same rhetoric that we saw with Kamala Harris. Her win shows that women are just as capable of being at the executive level as men.”
Harris’ win doesn’t mean everything is perfect, Morton cautions. If anything, this year has shown that. We know sexism and racism will not end when she takes office.
For Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, who was elected in 2018 as the first woman and first Latina in the position, Harris’ win is relatable in many ways — right down to her shoes.
“She’s not only going to change people’s idea of what a vice president looks like,” Hidalgo said, “but she’s also not succumbing to some of the things that women seem to have to do. It’s amazing to see her campaigning in Converses … She can wear sensible shoes and own it. She is herself, and she’s proud of who she is.”
Sarah-Waheed Sher, a political volunteer who grew up in Pakistan, also sees Harris breaking new ground.
“You don’t see many South Asian women involved in politics,” she said. “This is a moment of celebration for women, for women of color and for immigrant women. She’s definitely a trailblazer in every aspect, and she encapsulates truly what the American dream is.”
Like Harris and Hidalgo, Dr.
Mae Jemison is another trailblazer. “I was the first woman of color in the entire world to go into space, which was very strange,” she said. That was in 1992.
Jemison, also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, has used her platform to inspire others and bring her perspective to science, education and even to Fortune 500 boardrooms. That’s what Jemison hopes for Harris.
There’s also the hope that men will embrace this moment in history, said Elizabeth Gregory, director of University of Houston’s Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies and the Institute for Research on Women, Gender and Sexuality.
“It’s essential for women and young girls to see women in leadership roles so they can imagine themselves in similar roles and work toward them. And equally important is having men and boys see and get used to having women in roles of authority and leadership,” Gregory said. “Another big benefit is that women’s ideas and insights get heard.”
For those in college with high aspirations, Harris is a perfect role model, said Kayla Simmons, a senior studying broadcast communications and political science at University of Houston.
“She has shown that we can always rise above, in spite of adversity,” Simmons said. “Kamala has inspired my career, and I admire how many hearts she has touched. Young girls can see themselves in her.”
Harris as vice president could put the country one step closer to having a female president. That’s a dream for my daughter — and maybe her daughter.
“While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last,” Harris said.
That’s my hope.