The presence of Madam Vice President-elect Kamala Harris represents the new era of America. She solidified the time for change and exemplifies the tide of cultural balance. As the first Black and South Asian woman to be listed on a major political ballot, and the first woman to be voted on as vice president, Harris raises the awareness of a nation before her words begin to cut through her lips.
As the past generation takes her win as a nod to the countless steps made in the past for women empowerment and racial equity, the future will use her resolve as a vessel to sail through the future with a fresh force. She is symbolic of the change America is seeing, Harris embodies the energy of a new day in American history.
Kamala Devi Harris was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California to Donald Harris and Shyamalan Gopalan. Harris was the first-born and that preliminary title follows her into a professional career. Harris’ family were people of strategy, with her parents holding their own in economic study and cancer research center; Kamala and her younger sister Maya were brought up in a house of mental elevation.
As a daughter of South Asian and Jamaican genetic makeup, she was aware of cultural awareness early on. That energy is draped over her heart; Harris plans to be planted in that solidarity, to be persistent until physical evidence of Justice. She knows how to continue on into battle, even if the odds seemed to be stacked up against her.
Empowered by the jostle of her mother, Harris pushed through seemingly unbreakable boundaries. She holds the title as the first Black woman to have held district and general attorney roles in California’s history. From 2004 to 2011, Harris had a meteoric effect on many communities as district attorney, finding her essence in the initiative that gives first-time drug offenders the chance to earn a high school diploma and find employment in California.
Knowing her place was at the top, Harris bloomed with the determination and perseverance to become a lawyer, district attorney, and U.S. Senator. Longing for change, Harris wore her courtroom introduction, like a pendant of honor and embodied the statement: “Kamala Harris, For the People.” From there, she has installed those words as part of her personal trait that shines through her platform of public policy. Harris followed in her destined role with the armor to fight against an enemy of any size.
Harris shared experiences fighting in court; she fought for the residents of working-class communities and victims of a failed system. Harris expressed that she could recognize the hunter and hunted, and she is well suited for the battle for the sovereignty of fairness.
Before she was the first Black woman and South Asian American to be voted in as vice president, Harris was a student in a sea of new minds. Harris attended Howard University and she graduated with her B.A. in 1986. She completed her courses to earn a Juris Doctor degree from Hastings College. Passionate to fight for justice, Harris was admitted to the state bar in 1990. She was the leading attorney of the Career and Criminal Unit in San Francisco, eight years later.
As U.S. Senator, her “quiet and exquisite power” burrowed through testosterone filled rooms, creating the tunnel vision needed to become the vice president. Harris overcame strongholds that left the previous political aesthetic narrow, she was the first Black woman to be on a major ballot, breaking the mold of the White male line up found in the American timeline of political candidacy.
Harris continues to stand on the words she discovered while being a prosecutor; she is for the people. Relishing in the memories of fighting for children and survivors of sexual assault, Harris was never afraid of confrontation. She would take on some of the most prominent banks and conglomerate companies that tried to take advantage of smaller voices.
Harris formally accepted her nomination as vice president on August 19. Her speech consisted of mindfulness, alignment, faith, and the fight this country needs to elevate to a new definition of equality and freedom. Harris disclosed the details of her alignment with Biden, she stated, “We must elect Joe Biden. I knew Joe as Vice President. I knew Joe on the campaign trail. But I first got to know Joe as the father of my friend.”
Her election is the steepest crack into the glass ceiling; Harris cultivated her answer for evolution of human quality to be the vehicle navigated by the Biden Administration. There is a shared goal of moving forward with a new sense of purpose, healing generational wounds, and restoring the health of the nation.
The Harris name now embarks on authority; she has pushed a new standard forward. The story of her victory told America, there is no need to wait permission to make the change for equality. COVID-19 has heavily influenced the need for change. Harris stressed her strong faith in the Biden Administration to be the best guide through this new terrain. She stated, “We believe that our country—all of us, will stand together for a better future. We already are.”
Public policy is being represented by a Black woman, Harris continues to mirror a new dimension of change and aspires the nation to accept the new frontier. She continues to lean on a pillar of Justice and center her purpose to bring balance back into a system that has seen the same type of political figures in seats of power.
Vice President-elect Harris continues to break barriers with each step she takes on Capitol Hill soil and her position works as a pivotal point for the course of history. There is much to be admired about this time of acceptance. Harris intends to bring an overflow of inclusivity and balance in the White House. Her words come with high potency to make needed change, but her presence solidifies that it will take place under her watch.
