Senator Kamala Harris is making history today, breaking barrier after barrier to become the first female vice president, the first Black vice president, the first Asian-American vice president, and that’s not all.
Harris is also the first child of immigrants and the first graduate of a historically Black College (Howard University) to enter the ranks of such a coveted position as second in command of the United States of America, making this win all the more gratifying and groundbreaking.
Black women have been at the center of political progress in recent years, especially in this crucial election cycle. Harris’ election to the nation’s second-highest office as President-Elect Joe Biden’s running mate comes as women of color have channeled their outrage over Trump into casting ballots, mobilizing voters, and running for office themselves.
The 56-year-old Harris is no stranger to excelling upward and breaking glass ceilings. Born the daughter of immigrants, her late mother was a Tamil Indian American, and her father is Jamaican American. Harris is the former attorney general of California and the only Black woman in the Senate. She continues to achieve several milestones; besides the most obvious and already stated, she also will be the first vice president to hail from Generation X.
Biden is now the first former vice president to win the presidency since George H.W. Bush did it in 1988. He has said he envisions Harris having a similar role like the one he had while serving under former President Barack Obama.
“When I agreed to serve as President Obama’s running mate, he asked what I wanted. I told him I wanted to be the last person in the room before he made his most important decisions,” Biden explained while introducing Harris as his running mate back in August. “That’s what I ask of Kamala — to be the last voice in the room. To always tell me the truth. To ask the hard questions. Because that’s the way, we’ll make the best decisions for the American people.”
