7 Reasons Why Kamala Harris Resonates With The Feminist Inside Me

Four years ago, America hoped for its first female President in Hillary Clinton but that was not to happen. The glass ceiling was never shattered. Now if America was to vote for Democratic leader Joe Biden, Kamala Harris could become the first woman of colour elected as vice-president. Rooting for Harris, are many feminists from across the world, who view her as a woman pushing for a more inclusive America.

More recently Harris reined in US Vice President Mike Pence during a vice-presidential debate saying, “Mr. Vice-President, I’m speaking. If you don’t mind letting me finish, then we can have a conversation.” Not only did this become the headline of many global publications, several women identified with this, because they face unsolicited male interjections, mansplaining everyday at workplaces, homes and on social media.

For many, Harris is the feminist who is taking the Trump administration head-on and being watched for. A fearless daughter of a single mother won hearts an Instagram post she did in May, saying “I’m the daughter of a mother who broke down all kinds of barriers. Shyamala Harris was no more than five feet tall, but if you ever met her you would think she was seven feet tall. She had such spirit and tenacity and I’m thankful every day to have been raised by her.”

She is popular among voters too, recently Harris’ supporters expressed outrage on social media when a Republican senator from Georgia mispronounced her name and hashtags ‘MyNameIs’ and ‘IstandwithKamala’ trended on Twitter.

Let us look at 7 reasons why Kamala Harris resonates with the feminist inside me:

1. Kamala Harris made history at the US vice-presidential debate when she became the first Black and the first woman of South Asian origin to participate in a general election debate in the US
2. The 55-year-old Vice President nominee is the first Asian-American and African-American to be chosen as a running mate by a major party’s presidential candidate, in this case, Joe Biden of the Democratic Party.
3. Harris became the United States Senator from California in 2017, she was the second African-American woman and first South Asian-American senator in history to do so.
4. US Democratic Party’s vice-presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, sang and danced in the rain while addressing voters at a Florida rally. The video’s gone viral and the internet can’t have enough of Harris’ moment. Why? Because by being normal, fun and real, she reminds us how important is to be real.
5. In her memoir The Truths We Hold: An American Journey she talks about her biracial identity. She said “My mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters. She knew that her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as black girls.” Implying how race and especially ‘blackness’ is an overpowering facet of growing up in America as an immigrant.
6. Kamala who has always spoken about the importance of family said, “Family is my husband Doug. Family is our beautiful children, Cole and Ella, who as you just heard, call me Momala. Family is my sister. Family is my best friend, my nieces and my godchildren. Family is my uncles, my aunts and my chithis” in her speech.
7. She also condemned the killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd that shook the US this year. Referring to Taylor, Harris said, “Her family deserves justice. Her life was taken unjustifiably and tragically and violently.”
8. Kamala Harris has never been afraid to speak her mind. Whether it was reminding Mike Pence about not interjecting her or being an activist most of her life.

Kamala Devi Harris is an American lawyer and currently serving as a Senator in California was born to a Jamaican American father and an Indian mother. Shyamala Gopalan Harris, her mother, was a breast cancer researcher and a single mother. She gave Kamala and Maya, her sister, a very grounded upbringing, even though they grew up in a multicultural setup. Her biracial identity is a key factor in being able to connect across identities in multicultural country like the USA.

Singing in the Rain! https://t.co/tjd7osNAq7

— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) October 20, 2020

Also Read: Kamala Harris Ends 2020 Presidential Campaign, Says Still ‘In This Fight’

Views expressed are the author's own