Some WOW leaders reflect on the significance of Sen. Kamala Harris on the presidential ticket.
Hazel Weathers, Past President
When I heard the announcement that Kamala Harris will be the Democratic Party’s Vice Presidential candidate running with Joe Biden, I instantly felt a warm flush of happiness and smiled. I am through the roof with excitement!
Kamala is smart, tough, experienced, sharp-witted, skilled, and clearly ready to do the job of Vice President and, do I dare think it, the first woman elected President of the United States in 2024! She is more than qualified. As any minority knows, we often have to be twice as good to be considered equal. It will be a thrill to watch her “prosecute” the case against Trump and Pence, and she has much to work with. The most corrupt, incompetent administration in American history continues to mismanage every issue that lands at its feet – most critically, the Covid-19 pandemic that has killed 180,000 Americans and counting.
Although I still won’t sleep until after we have done all we can, solicited every vote, and finally won the election to save the soul of America and our democracy on Nov. 3, I can breathe easier knowing that Kamala is on the team!
Debbie O’Reilly, President
When the breaking news came across my phone, I smiled widely and tears welled in my eyes. Kamala Harris is the face and future of the Democratic Party and the United States. She will run Trump and Pence through the ringer during the campaign and after she is sworn in, solidifying both of them as dark stains on America’s past.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are a breath of fresh air for a country suffocating under failed leadership. America will be America once again.
Sheena King, Legislative Committee Co-Chair
I anxiously awaited “the announcement” for weeks. The suspense was palpable across the African-American community; this wasn’t just historic – it had the potential to be monumentally historic. With all the pain, frustration, and emotional tax that has been prominent in 2020 for all of us, but especially for women of color, we all held our breath waiting to hear presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden say her name!
While we continue with heavy hearts, awaiting to hear the arrest of the police officers who killed Breonna Taylor, personally my heart felt a little flutter of HOPE as I watched, with astonishment, the grace of Kamala Harris as she accepted the Vice President nomination. The rest of the day was surreal as the reality registered and I listened to news channels in rapid succession, watching the ear-to-ear smiles of every woman interviewed.
On Tuesday, August 11, 2020, Kamala Harris was every woman: competent and confident, chosen for such a time as this! I cannot wait to see all the positive ripple effects our United States of America will reap from this one courageous and consequential decision.
Katherine Chan Goodwin, Fundraising Committee Co-Chair
As I watched Sen. Kamala Harris graciously accept the nomination for Vice President of the United States of America, I saw myself. Like Kamala, I grew up in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area of California, the daughter of an immigrant who had come to America to further his education to make a better life for himself and his future family.
Like Kamala, I’m proud of my Chinese American father who marched in Anti-Vietnam War protests in Berkeley, side by side with our neighbor, my best friend’s father. Like Kamala, my immigrant parents taught me to work hard to fulfill my dreams, enabling me to graduate from the University of California and fiercely forge a successful professional life despite the odds against a woman of color.
In Kamala, I see the ultimate fulfillment of the American dream my parents knew could come true. In Kamala’s glowing face, I see my bi-racial childrens’ faces, and the happy, hopeful faces of the Black, Latino, Asian and white children, immigrant and native born, in their Meet the Teacher car parade to kick off a new school year. Hell yes, it made me cry – HOPE is back and she looks like us – just like my parents promised!
Angie, Communications Committee Co-Chair
In the chaos of Trump’s presidency, lives have meant little. Civil liberties, human rights, environmental protections, diplomacy, and equality have been violated to sickening degrees. Even if we do prevail in November, immediate and long-term priorities on all governmental levels will focus almost solely on cleaning up the mess left by Trump and his minions. But now, a new light is illuminating the dark room from which we’ve been trying to escape for almost four years: Kamala Harris.
If you’re like me, Kamala on the ticket is personal as well as political. As a woman, I’m thrilled a woman is on the ticket. But there’s more to it than that. While I have found inspiration and comfort in the relationships I’ve forged in the anti-Trump movement, fear and worry have shadowed my every step for four years – shadows with which I know many of you are familiar, too. When it was announced Kamala would run with Biden, I literally became dizzy as unfamiliar emotions swelled inside me. After I steadied myself, I finally recognized the emotions that had overwhelmed me: relief and hope.
I’d literally forgotten what those two emotions felt like. It had been so long since I had a reason to feel them.
Politically, Kamala running as VP is about more than the awesomeness of a woman on the presidential ticket – this is about having a woman at THE table. And in the wake of the horrors that define Trump’s presidency, Kamala is the answer to all our most fervent prayers – prayers we’ve uttered through tear gas, through the insults hurled at us as we’ve protested and marched, through the tears we’ve shed at countless disappointments.
In many ways, our work has just begun. Rather than being daunted by that reality, I’m freshly inspired by the strong, indomitable woman who will tackle the challenges we face with an unmatched tenacity. The relief stemming from my hope that Kamala will unite and invigorate this country is more powerful than the exhaustion I feel from four years of fighting. I’m excited to once again feel pride as an American, rather than shame.
Let’s kick the shadows to the curb and march toward victory.
—
Who is Kamala Harris?
Compiled by Cathy Mangarelli, Legislative Co-Chair
Cathy Mangarelli
Kamala’s nomination checked a number of special boxes. She is only the third woman ever to be so nominated (previous woman nominees: Geraldine Ferraro and Sarah Palin) and the first-ever African American woman and first-ever South Asian American to run as VP. Both of her parents were immigrants; her father hailed from Jamaica, and her mother from India. She was raised mostly by her mother in Oakland, CA.
Education:
Kamala’s schooling began in the communities around UC Berkeley, where her parents met. She also spent time in Canada, where her mother gained employment after she and her father were divorced. She majored in Economics at Howard University and earned her law degree from the U.C. Hastings College of Law in San Francisco.
Qualifications:
Kamala has spent most of her career in public service, beginning in the Alameda County DA’s office, where she gained a valuable understanding of legal issues and strong and successful courtroom experience. This led to her advocacy work for criminal justice issues. She became District Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco in 2003.
After two terms as District Attorney, she was elected Attorney General for the State of California. That office claims the largest Justice Department in the country, outside of the Federal Justice Department. In this role, she managed a large department of lawyers and important legal issues. Among her most important work:
- $25 billion settlement for homeowners hit by foreclosure crisis
- Defended CA’s landmark climate change law
- Protected the ACA
- Helped win marriage equality for all Californians
- Prosecuted transnational gangs trafficking in guns, drugs, and humans
She was elected U.S. Senator in 2016, giving her an invaluable understanding of how legislation is handled at the federal level. She has held membership on several important committees as Senator, including Homeland Security, Government Affairs, Select Committee on Intelligence, Committee on the Judiciary, and Committee on the Budget.