When She Wins, We Win: A Salute to Vice-President Elect Kamala D. Harris
On the morning after Senator Kamala Harris was nominated to run on the presidential ticket with Vice-President Joe Biden, I wrote:
"The nomination of Senator Kamala Harris to run as the Vice President of the United States of America is historic and a huge win for women of color everywhere! As a woman of color, I will not allow anyone to steal the glory of this moment from me. I will do everything in my power to see that she is elected and hold her accountable as I would any other politician. To think that little black girls can look up and see a woman who looks like them be chosen to lead in such a powerful position is sweetness to my soul. I know it won’t be an easy road for us. I know we are afraid people won’t vote for a black woman, but I know a God who is able to defy all the limitations of man to bring about a plan that was destined before the foundation of the world. Wouldn’t it be just like God to allow a Black woman who represents women who have carried this nation on our back, nursed white women’s babies, raped by white slave masters, had their babies ripped from their arms and sold into slavery, arrested for sitting at the front of bus, denied basic human rights, misrepresented in the media, disrespected by white men and black men, overlooked because of her skin color and gender, to be the first female Vice President and possibly the first female President of these United States! I know it’s going to be a fight but baby, I’m here for it...." #BidenHarris2020
Margaret Thatcher once commented, “In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman." Women have a long tradition of advocacy, activism, and community organizing. In fact, this year marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment. When asked about how she felt, Senator Harris replied, "We celebrate the women who fought for that right. Yet so many of the Black women who helped secure that victory were still prohibited from voting, long after its ratification." She then said the names of some of the Black women who fought for access to the ballot, and for civil rights more broadly, but who've suffered from historical elision: Mary Church Terrell, Mary McLeod Bethune, Fannie Lou Hamer, Diane Nash, Constance Baker Motley and Shirley Chisolm. "Without fanfare or recognition, they organized, testified, rallied, marched, and fought -- not just for their vote, but for a seat at the table. These women and the generations that followed worked to make democracy and opportunity real in the lives of all of us who followed," Harris said.
On November 7, 2020, Joseph R. Biden and Kamala D. Harris were officially elected to the Office of President and Vice-President of the United States of America! I sat proudly as she took the stage to give her victory speech, proclaiming "I may be the first woman to hold this position, but I won't be the last." Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris represents all women in this country, but she especially represents the struggles and triumphs of women of color. I thank God for letting me, my mother, sisters, girlfriends, daughter, spiritual daughters, mentees, sisters in ministry, and my Sorors live to see this day.
I don’t have adequate words to fully express what it means to women color to see a woman who looks like us holding the 2nd highest office in America. This historic win for Vice-President Kamala Harris is a win for all of us... #FirstAndFinest 💞💚
Dr. Toni