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It can now be said that America has a female vice President.
Saturday, 7th November 2020 manifested radiance of vast possibilities in the lives of black women, after all these years of political crimp in the United States. As Senator Kamala Harris was elected as America’s first black female vice president. It’s no news that black women around the globe are effusive with emotions, this says a lot. There has been a long wait on the side of women in the history of US elections. All three women who have contested for the office of the presidency, Geraldine Ferraro as Vice President in 1984, Sarah Palin as Vice President in 2008, and Hillary Clinton as President in 2016—were defeated. And it almost became as if women were coming out to waste their time. But Kamala Harris, the shatterer of glass ceilings has just adjusted the system and there will be no going back. In the agitation of this historic declaration, there is only one thing that oscillates deep within me as a black woman: if Kamala Harris could do it, we can become more. So long the blood flowing in her vein traces down to the red roots of Africa—we are capable of breaking all walls of prejudice to achieving more; the blood can never lie. Kamala Harris has gone a long way to demonstrate that as women of colour, we have the acumen and attributes to take charge and dismantle all stereotypes devoted to racism. This is a grease on the elbow of the black community, a coattail to ride on as black women. However, this should serve as a memento that we are occupying and not limited by anything. We will perform on every pitch of the society; we are a force!
Meanwhile, as black women it is paramount we know the impact of endorsing our dreams with great determination. Kamala Harris born 20th October 1964 in Oakland, California to a Jamaican father and an Indian mother—has been active in the US politics for a long time, with her dreams lucid. Ms. Harris became the district attorney for the city of San Francisco in 2003. In 2010 she was elected Attorney General of California and re-elected in 2014. She defeated Loretta Sanchez in the 2016 Senate election to become the second African American woman and the first South Asian American to serve in the United States Senate. In 2019, Harris launched her own campaign to become the Democratic Party’s nominee for president but she eventually lost that race to Joe Biden. In an interview on NYtimes, she argued that her identity makes her uniquely suited to fight for people who have been traditionally ignored.
To see someone who shares the same affront and experiences as a black woman taking up a potent position in the American government is an epiphany that our voices are now being heard. An achievement the women before us couldn’t imagine, and we are just a step into the road of greatness. We shouldn’t get tired of reminding them that we are here to share this space, even if it means making it our daily routine. The ancestral mothers of the black race would definitely be raising their thumbs where ever they are, for this era. We’ve done a good job but there is still more work to be done which is, to nurse this mantle on to our daughters—the next generation of black women. Isn’t it fascinating how this new wave is taking course after the social media rampage on #blacklivesmatter? This shows that there is power in our voice, let’s harness it.
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