To conclude my blog, the Women of Washington, I will pay tribute to madame Vice President, Kamala Harris: the first woman to serve in the nation’s 2nd highest office.
Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, California. The daughter of immigrant parents, Harris was raised primarily by her Indian mother who insured both her Asian heritage and the Black culture of Oakland played a role in the upbringing of her children (BBC). “She was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud black women,” Harris wrote of her mother in her autobiography (BBC). Her name, Kamala, means lotus in Sanskrit, a testimony to the importance of her Indian identity (Weinberg and Palaniappan). An advocate and no-nonsense powerhouse since her early years, Harris organized a protest with other children in her neighborhood for the right to play on the lawn of their apartment building. Unsurprisingly, she won (Mahdawi).
After completing high school in Montreal, Canada, Harris studied political science and economics at Howard University where she joined the debate team (Honderich and Dissanayake). In 2003, she became the first Black District Attorney of San Francisco and later the state’s Attorney General (BBC). Her reputation as a “rising star” of the Democratic party secured her a senate seat in 2018 (Honderich and Dissanayake).
As both a presidential candidate and the VP-nominee, Harris verbally committed to dismantling the filibuster, pushing the green new deal, addressing immigration and tackling systemic racism. Mary Kay Henry, the head of the Service Employees International Union said of Harris, “Her whole life’s work has been fighting to ensure America is a place where freedom is for everyone regardless of gender, income, or race” (Mahdawi).
While Harris struggled to appeal to both the progressive and the moderate wings of the party as a candidate in blue California (progressives gave her the title “cop”), her career as a law enforcement official on the national campaign trail was more appealing to the general public (Honderich and Dissanayake). Instead of committing to “abolishing the police,” Harris holds a “smart on crime” position – of which she even titled a book (Weinberg and Palaniappan).
Harris said in an interview with Good Morning America, “I was raised that, when you see a problem, you don’t complain about it, you go and do something about it” (Weinberg and Palaniappan). She committed to addressing police brutality, by, according to ABC news, ending no-knock warrants, chokeholds and carotid holds as well as cash bail and private prisons (Weinberg and Palaniappan). And while she backed the $15 minimum wage, she constructed her own health care plan (a more centrist version of Senator Sander’s bill) demonstrating her more moderate approach (Mahdawi).
While Harris is known as a formidable force unwilling to tolerate disrespect (demonstrated by her infamous “I’m speaking” comment during the Vice-Presidential debate), her stepchildren gave her the endearing title of “Momala” (Mahdawi).
As the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris has “broken through the glass ceiling,” demonstrating to women across the nation of what is possible as a female political powerhouse. For the next four years, girls and young women across the nation can look to the White House and see a Black Asian American woman – a leader who looks like them. And, like the many new women of Washington, her presence will inspire the next generation of female leaders.
Sources
Honderich, Holly, and Samanthi Dissanayake. “Kamala Harris: The Many Identities of the First Woman Vice-President.” BBC News, BBC, 8 Nov. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-53728050.
“Kamala Harris: Who Is the First Female Vice President of the USA?” BBC News, BBC, 21 Jan. 2021, www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/53749832.
Mahdawi, Arwa. “The Meaning of Kamala Harris: the Woman Who Will Break New Ground as Vice-President.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 8 Nov. 2020, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/08/the-meaning-of-kamala-harris-the-woman-who-will-break-new-ground-as-vice-president.
Weinberg, Tessa, and Sruthi Palaniappan. ABC News, ABC News Network, 20 Jan. 2021, abcnews.go.com/Politics/kamala-harris-latest-democrat-run-president/story?id=60521324.
I am so excited to have the first woman VP, so hearing about her background and how she got to where she is was very inspiring. Great last blog post!
This is a very fitting way to end your blog series. Kamala Harris has the same double majors as me!! Definitely an inspiring story. Cant wait to see what she does during these next 4 years.
I remember watching Harris’ speech on the night her and Joe won and I was definitely feeling emotional. I am so glad to finally have women represented in such a high office. Harris may have done a few things in her previous career that I am not too keen on, but she is undeniably inspiring to women, especially young girls all over the country finally seeing a woman VP.