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Post date: February 8, 2021 12:18 pm
by Dylan Kaminski
January 20, 2021: a significant and salient day of grounding-breaking achievement for the equality of women. On this day, Kamala Harris was inaugurated as the first female vice president of the United States, a position that had been regarded as unattainable for a woman decades prior. Harris is also the first woman of color to obtain the occupation, being of Indian and Jamaican descent. This procurement surpasses a milestone in a nation of upheaval that is ceaselessly struggling with racial injustice in its past and in contemporary times. As witnessed in the 2021 election, racial discrimination remains a prominent issue in the country and much of the current condition of society must be modified in order to establish true equality for all. Although such eminent bigotry endures, Harris’ accomplishment is one hefty step towards a civilization that is unprejudiced and equitable.
From an early age, Kamala Harris has undergone the likes of racial injustice. Raised in Oakland and Berkeley, California, she witnessed discrimination against those born of a different race, an occurrence that still frequents contemporarily. As reported by The New York Times, Harris recounts of her early years of the “sea of legs moving about'' at all the protests that campaigned for racial equality and of hearing Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to mount a national campaign for president, speak in 1971 at a Black cultural center in Berkeley that she visited often. Harris felt empowered and thrived to bring about modifications to generate an America that everyone feels safe residing in, no matter the feats that may set them apart from others. Kamala has advanced higher in the country’s leadership compared to any other woman in politics, having been the first Black woman to serve as California’s attorney general as well as the second Black woman to join the Senate in the history of the United States. Quoted by Florida congresswoman Val Demings on Harris’ victory on Abc News, “To see a Black woman nominated for the first time reaffirms my faith that in America, there is a place for every person to succeed no matter who they are or where they come from.” Vice President Kamala Harris serves as a symbol of hope for those who are grappling through a life that seemingly is set against them from birth. She resembles the possibility of achievement in a world that has never treated all individuals equally and she desires to put forth her efforts in enkindling a society that individuals won’t feel tossed aside in due to the color of their skin or their gender.
For centuries, women have been regarded as second-rate citizens, inferior to their male counterparts. As society gradually beckons an era of progression, the ideal of females being house-bound and confined to particular occupations has diminished tremendously. It has become ordinary for women to do whatever they desire, an ability that once was not granted to them without a man being involved within their life. For countless citizens, the American dream or even the opportunity to beckon a prosperous lifestyle does not seem like a plausible occasion to occur for them. Yet, Kamala Harris is evidence that those who are born in the bowels of poverty can climb the arbitrary social ladder to any position they covet. The New York Times quotes Harris stating, “While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.” This may not be a nation of an upteen of fortune for every individual, but it is steadily converting to one at an exceedingly unhurried rate.
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