By: May Lopez, W*SS Graduate Intern
This past weekend we witnessed history as Kamala Harris became the Vice President-elect of the United States of America. She is the first womxn to be elected to this position and her background embodies the elements that have made this country successful. Vice President-elect Harris is the daughter of immigrant parents who came to the US to pursue graduate studies and fell in love while marching together for justice in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Her mother intentionally raised Harris to appreciate her mixed heritage as a South Asian Black womxn. The future Vice President’s family also represents the future of America— more racially, religiously, and ethnically integrated society.
It is powerful to know there will be many generations of girls who will never have to wonder if a womxn can indeed take office at the White House. Kamala Harris shattered this glass ceiling and now will be one of the few womxn in the world with this level of influence. More than likely she will face gender and racial discrimination as the only womxn of color sitting at tables accostumed to seating only White men. In all those spaces I hope she knows she is not alone and we are with her as she weathers the storm of being first. More than anything, I hope she’s the first of many more womxn to occupy the White House.
As we enter a new chapter in this country, I urge us to remember the pain of the past four years as we move forward. May we keep in mind that wounds of this size do not heal overnight and unity takes work on both sides. This is a good time to recognize, thank, and make space at the table for the Black and Brown womxn across the country who delivered us this beacon of hope when 55% of White womxn didn’t. Kamala Harris’s win is a win for feminism but we need to continue fighting for intersectional and inclusive feminism so that her win extends beyond symbolism into action and change.
Want to learn more about other womxn elected? https://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/a34524597/women-made-history-election-2020/
Photo by Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press
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