What Kamala Harris Means for Black Women

On August 11th, Former Vice President Joe Biden announced that he had chosen Senator Kamala Harris of California to be his running mate for this year’s presidential election. This day will be known as a gratifying moment for black women and women of color. There is no denying that the country’s political structures have been heavily diluted with white men. Kamala Harris has risen to this position through her work in California as an attorney general and in the Senate. Her appeal could motivate and serve as a motivation for voter mobilization and turnout for all African Americans.

Harris’s nomination follows the groundbreaking efforts of several women who’ve pursued the presidency including Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to run in 1972 for the Democratic nomination. Chisholm’s campaign slogan: “Unbought and Unbossed” which focused on civil rights and poverty, received little support from either Black or female voters. Black women who followed in Chisholm’s footsteps from Congress to the Democratic presidential primary, including Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and Harris herself have seen similar challenges.

Despite the challenges that lie ahead, Kamala Harris as a Vice President pick gives black women hope that there is a possibility to help lead a country. It makes black girls realize that they can go after their dreams despite the color of their skin or the misconstrued stereotypes of being “an angry black woman” which has plagued our society for years. Like many civil rights activists Fannie Lou Hamer, Dorothy Height, Ella Baker and others, their legacy and hard work helped culminate into this powerful moment.

As stated by Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, “This moment is more than about the VP slot. It affirms Black women and all we did for this country. I’m glad I lived to see it.”