Kamala Harris: A New American Leader

By Ammy Y. '22

On January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris was sworn in as the 49th vice president of the United States. The daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, Harris became the nation’s first woman, first South Asian American, and first Black vice president. It was a historic moment that celebrated other momentous firsts: The first Latinx Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor, was the one to swear in Harris, and one of Harris’s hands rested on the Bible that belonged to Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court justice. That day, Harris broke through a nearly two-hundred-year-old barrier in American politics that had long been dominated by White men.

Born to two immigrant parents, and a native of Oakland, California, Harris has said that she was inspired to attend law school after attending civil rights protests with her parents. Harris’s mother, Shyamala Gopalan, who immigrated to the United States at the age of 19, was a civil rights activist and a role model for Harris. At the 2020 virtual DNC, Harris said Gopalan “raised [my sister and me] to be proud, strong Black women. And she raised us to know and be proud of our Indian heritage.” 

On the campaign trail, during both her primary run and her run as the vice presidential nominee, Harris’s multiracial heritage was central to her personal narrative and political identity. Harris attended Howard University, one of the nation’s most prestigious historically Black universities, and pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha, the nation’s first sorority created by and for Black women. It was at Howard where she solidified her identity as a woman of color while simultaneously honing her famously sharp debate skills. Shattering yet another barrier, Harris is the first vice president from a historically Black Greek-letter organization.

During her political career, Harris broke more barriers, such as serving as California's first Black female attorney general and being the second Black woman in history to be elected to the U.S. Senate. To political observers, it was no surprise when Joe Biden chose her to be his running mate. Harris’s place on the ticket resonated with voters of color and was also indicative of the power and influence women, particularly women of color, have as a voting force in the country. 

For those in the Bryn Mawr community, the majority of whom identify as women, Harris’s status as vice president symbolizes much more than a vice-presidential win, but also an open door for the future. Allie G. (’22) states that “in becoming vice president, Kamala Harris has achieved so many ‘firsts,’ and what I think that shows a lot of the people in our Bryn Mawr community is that it’s possible.” She continues, “Regardless of whether you agree with her politically, it’s nice to just have representation in the White House when, historically speaking, women have always been barred from the highest offices in this country.” Allie’s words demonstrate that Harris’s victory is a victory for all women, one that allows them to feel seen in ways they never have been. 

Ms. Sadler echoes her sentiments, saying, “Kamala Harris has broken many glass ceilings, and has achieved something that I have been waiting for since the 1980s, since Geraldine Ferraro ran for Vice President. I am so excited for what this means for our country and Bryn Mawr’s community, that a woman is finally occupying that position. In that vein, I encourage every student at Bryn Mawr to aspire to the job and position that they believe they can do, to be the groundbreaker or trailblazer they want to be.” It is clear that seeing a woman in the second highest office in the United States is an achievement long awaited for many. Ms. Sadler hopes that Harris’s accomplishment will serve as a source of inspiration to the students of Bryn Mawr and a reminder that there is no limit to what can be achieved.

Dr. Spector-Marks also recalled an instance that occurred when she was a Bryn Mawr student. She explained that as a sophomore, she once had a debate with her peers about who would get elected president first: a black man or a white woman. “It’s very telling,” she says, “that we didn’t even consider a woman of color. We were weighing oppressions, rather than thinking about intersectionality.” Seeing a woman of color elected to one of the highest offices in the land is evidence of how the times have changed. For Allie, “just seeing someone who identifies with a part of your identity — whether you have immigrant parents, whether you’re of a religious minority, whether you identify as a woman, whether you’re Black or South Asian — and see them reach such a high level of authority in America is inspiring.” The intersectionality of Harris’s identity is a powerful reminder that the face of American politics is shifting towards one of new representation and possibility. No longer is it unthinkable that a woman of color can  reach the West Wing. 

Regardless of one’s politics, Kamala Harris’s election widens the lens for who an American leader can be. As she said in her first speech as vice president-elect, “while I may be the first woman in this office, I won’t be the last.”