Op Ed: Kamala Harris’ Victory is a Win for Black and Brown Girls Everywhere

This year, the United States inaugurated its first female Vice President, Kamala Harris. Harris is also the first person of Black and South Asian descent to hold one of the highest offices in the land. Kamala Harris’s victory as Vice President is not only a victory for her; her victory represents the hopes and aspirations of so many young black and brown girls across the country. Her victory is symbolic and historic, and not just because she holds the second highest office in the land that no other woman has held.

While Harris’ victory is received well by many, there is no doubt that many people disagree with Harris’s problematic and regressive stance on certain issues. However, we must not ignore the significance of her victory in a country that has never elected a non-white person to the Vice Presidency. Children of immigrants and young girls across the country see themselves in Harris and while many of them, like me, disagree with her on multiple issues, Harris’s victory is proof to them that they can one day pursue their greatest ambitions and dreams. So many American children will grow up in a country where the idea of a female President or Vice President is not outlandish but is the norm. Years from now, people may even forget that it was once considered an impressive feat for a woman to occupy one of the highest offices in the land. Recognizing the importance of Harris’s win does not mean encouraging her controversial opinions; rather, it means valuing people of several marginalized identities and the increasing representation of these identities in our political offices.