The upcoming presidential election has turned out a surprising and historic nominee, Senator Kamala Harris of California. She is the first African and South Asian American woman to run for Vice President under the Democratic nomination.
Harris’s nomination is a milestone for African Americans, South Asian Americans and women of color. As a native of Berkeley, California her background is culturally diverse which truly represents the core values and ideologies of American society. With a father from Jamaica and a mother from India, Harris exhibits the ‘American Dream’ of many immigrants.
As a Howard University graduate and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Harris has inspired many African Americans to be active in voting and politics.
However, standing in a political spotlight is nothing new for the historic nominee. In 2003, she made history by becoming the first black woman to hold the title of District Attorney of San Francisco. In 2010, she won the election for California Attorney General by a margin of 0.8%, according to Politico. In 2016, she became the first Indian American United States Senator which propelled the significant step in diversifying the United States Congress. In December of 2019, Harris announced her run for President of the United States but was unsuccessful.
Her accomplishments have been record-setting for both minority groups but it was only recently that Harris opened up about her Indian background and how her mother shaped her life with personal and educational values. Her experiences with being a biracial woman in America have been uniquely her own. Although her platform is a chance to reach the masses with this next Presidential election she understands the importance of equality for all races growing up in the segregated 1960s.
Her background and role as a senator has allowed her to see the injustices around her which has prompted her to create a civil standing society the best that she can. Diversity in America has always been a dream for many but with the country’s current racial tensions, Harris’s wisdom and insightfulness could be a saving grace from the radical extremes that the United States has been suffering from with its blatantly open racism and police brutality.
A woman, a mixed race child of immigrants, can she be the next great American Icon?