Spotlight: Kamala Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris standing behind the United States flag.

With government and politics affecting our daily lives, many people have different opinions about who exactly represents their ‘we the people. However, despite your political preferences, you must admit that Kamala Harris is an accomplished and inspiring political figure.

Born in Oakland California, Harris began her career as a lawyer and eventually became the California attorney general. She was then elected as a U.S. senator, and she later became the first female vice president in United States history. 

And no, Harris was not a DEI candidate, meaning she was not only chosen for those positions because of her race and sex. She has proved time and time again that she was a worthy candidate to become Vice President by supporting policies that supported small businesses, improved access to maternal health, fought climate change, and many more. The term “DEI candidate” is another discriminative way of saying that only white men have earned their political positions, while others were only elected to appeal to certain minorities. 

With the presidential election around the corner, it's inspiring to see a woman running for such a powerful position. Harris is a prime example of women defying stereotypes that society continues to hold on to. Yes, women can be strong leaders, great speakers, and overall intelligent individuals. It has been shown time and time again, that women can do anything men can do, meaning we should all be treated as equals.

Politics is all about representing the people, yet it still lacks diverse representation. For instance, 28% of the 118th Congress were women. However, Harris proves that women can be involved in politics and she encourages the next generation of women to become leaders themselves. Many young women, including myself, feel less intimidated to speak out about our opinions on different policies, especially ones concerning our basic human rights, because of role models like Harris.

Not only that, Harris has actively promoted women's rights. She has invested millions of dollars into closing gender gaps in private sectors and in supporting women's inclusion in the United States and Africa.

Before the 18th century women couldn’t vote, but in just two centuries we see many accomplished women holding positions in our U.S. government, showing just how far we have come as a society. Therefore, regardless of your political views, we should appreciate all women involved with politics, including Kamala Harris.  

"If we want to strengthen democracy, we must fight for gender equality. Because here is the truth: Democracy is strongest when everyone participates and it is weaker when people are left out,” Vice President Harris.