Today at 12 p.m. on January 20, 2021 we joyfully celebrate the inauguration of the Biden-Harris presidency. Kamala Harris will be making history three times by becoming the first black and Asian American woman to become vice president. Just five years ago, the United States wasn’t ready for a woman to hold office, but we have finally arrived at a point where a woman of color (still very crazy to say that) is occupying the second highest position of power in the United States, and we think this is exactly what this nation needs.
Born in Oakland, and raised in Berkeley, California by her Jamaican immigrant father and her Indian immigrant mother. At 13 years old, Harris’s interest in politics manifested when she and her sister led a demonstration in front of her apartment building challenging a rule that banned children from playing on the lawn.
She is a proud Howard University alumni, graduating in 1986 with a degree in political science and economics. She got her political beginnings in 2003 when she became the first black woman to become district attorney in California. In 2011, she was elected attorney general of California, and subsequently became senator to California in 2017.
Kamala is not just setting a precedent for the United States, but a precedent for young women everywhere. She is teaching the next generation of young women to believe that their goals are within reach and worth chasing. She is showing young girls that their dreams are not unattainable or too ambitious.
She is teaching young women to not be intimidated by exclusive male dominated positions of power, but to face them head on instead, because it’s okay to ruffle some feathers. She is teaching young women to work hard for what they want if they want to be the change that they want to see.
She is inspiring young women to not worry about the naysayers that may have nasty things to say about them, but to stay diligent and focused. The naysayers won’t be running their mouths when you’ve made your way to the top. She is inspiring young women of the next generation, because she is a testament of what it means to break down society’s view of leadership in America.
Kamala Harris is inspiring the next generation of young women, especially young women of color, to not be afraid, and instead to believe that maybe America is a country of possibility and opportunity. Kamala Harris is a reflection of today’s America, and it's our job to make sure that she is not the last.
