Kamala Harris’ victory and why it’s influential
After many years of waiting, it’s projected that the United States will officially elect its first female Vice President. Senator Kamala Harris, the running mate of Joe Biden, represents not only a historic win for women, but also a special win for people of color and South Asians. This win is more than a political win—it represents growth and representation in America.
Vice President-elect Harris, the daughter of two immigrants, made history in 2003 when she was elected San Francisco’s first black district attorney. After serving seven years as district attorney, Kamala was elected as California’s attorney general in 2010,again making history as the first person of color and woman to hold the office. Then, in 2016, Kamala Harris shattered ceilings once more, becoming the first South Asian-American to be elected to Senate. Harris’s bid for the presidency began in January 2019 when she announced that she’d be running for the highest position in America. However, in December of that same year she withdrew from the race.
As we all know, in June 2020, former Vice President, now President-elect, Joe Biden announced Kamala Harris as his running mate for the 2020 presidential election. On November 7, 2020, the presidential election was projected by many news outlets such as CNN, the Associated Press (AP), and the New York Times. Since the race was called, many Americans––including myself––have been celebrating the Biden-Harris victory. More specifically, we’ve been celebrating how historic, influential, and trailblazing it is.
I, like many other women and people of color, consider this win much needed and influential. For the first time, women and young girls finally have someone in office who looks like them. Personally, it’s refreshing to know that a person like me is representing our nation. It’s all about representation. Seeing someone who looks like you to serve as vice president shows how far America has come towards mending its racial divide, but also shows how much more growing we need to do.
While Kamala has made some questionable political choices, her win is still important for the future.
“I feel good about her being the Vice President. She’s not perfect, but I hope we can start to see a change in the world with her being Vice President,” Cassidy Watson, 9, stated.
Another SJHS student, ToShiro Johnson, 11, said, “Everyone is always hating on Kamala Harris because she changes her views a lot on key policies, but wouldn’t this be better for us? We need somebody willing to understand both sides of the spectrum, no matter what the spectrum is.”
ToShiro added, “This is not only another big step when it comes to being a person of color, but a big step when it comes to women being in a position of power.” It is evident that many people, like myself, believe that this is a step in the right direction for Americans, people of color, and women. Yes, many arguments could be made against Kamala’s political choices, but what politician hasn’t made a bad choice?
Overall, Kamala Harris’s Vice Presidential win will go down in history as a trailblazing in our country—and potentially the entire world. This is an influential win that will be remembered for ages to come.