In Kamala We Trust

Written By: Girl Tyler

This Women’s History Month hits different with Vice President Kamala Harris as the lady of the hour. Harris represents a series of firsts; the first woman, first Black woman, first South Asian daughter of immigrants, and the first historically Black University graduate to serve as Vice President of the United States. The former prosecutor and Senator from California has committed her life's work to equity and racial justice. In her decades of service, VP Harris has more than earned this prestigious honor as America’s second-in-command.

Although VP Harris stands as one, her place in history represents the blood, sweat, and sacrifice shed by generations of Black women who, in her own words, are “too often overlooked, but so often prove that they are the backbone of our democracy.” In less than 90 days on the job, she has prioritized women and mothers.

The current state of women workers in the U.S. is at record lows, equivalent to labor statistics from the 1980's. According to her February op-ed in The  Washington Post, 2.5 million women lost their jobs or exited the workforce due to the COVID-19 pandemic. VP Harris wrote, “Without affordable and accessible child care, working mothers are forced to make an unfair choice. We have to make sure all working mothers have the support they need — during the pandemic and after. Because here’s the truth: Our economy cannot fully recover unless women can fully participate.”

We’re coming down from that January 20th inauguration high and the new  administration is tasked with cleaning up the grim injustices of the former. Black women are still dying at record numbers in childbirth, our communities are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, and we are up against systemic racism. 

While she's endured endless sexism and racism from internet trolls, cable news outlets, and a divisive election, VP Kamala Harris continues to display courage under fire. Focused and poised, driven and ambitious, we STAN VP Harris in all her glory, but it would  be unfair for one woman to carry the heavy burden of our faith in demanding progress for Black women in America. In all her glory, we must ask, what took so long for a woman of color to hold this high post, nearly five decades after Shirley Chisholm made a bold campaign for president? The state of Georgia and Black women seated President Joe Biden and VP Harris. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. VP Harris is but a step of progress, but America has many miles to travel.

And a Black woman shall lead them.