Women go through a lot in America, simply because we are women. Whether that is dealing with sexual harassment, to childbirth, to unequal pay, to biased treatment, and many more. We seem to be defined not by how hard we work or what we can change, but how we look and what we can help with. That is why the newly elected Vice President, Kamala Harris, is a defying and inspirational win for women of all ages and races in America. It means that there is hope and prosperity for the young women of my generation, and the generations to come, not because of our gender or race, but because of our determination and will-power to get stuff done. 

Harris will not only be the first woman to become the Vice President of the United States, but she will also be the first “black, South Asian Vice President” in America’s history (Tensley and Write, 2020). Harris knows a thing or two about being a steady activist in trying and horrific times. As the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, Harris’ parents were very active during the Civil Rights movement in the sixties, even bringing Harris as a toddler to marches (Tensley and Wright, 2020). Her parents moved throughout these movements with dignity and grace, but always with a little bit of determination for justice and equality for all. Perhaps this determination from Harris came from her very own mother, reminding Harris throughout her childhood that she may be the first to ever do something in a world where she may be the one that looks different, but to make sure she wouldn’t certainly be the last. 

The bond between Harris and her mother is something Harris has often spoken about throughout her almost thirty-five years in politics. “She was tough,” Harris recalls, “she was five feet tall, but if you ever met her, you would’ve thought she was ten feet tall.” This same toughness is exemplified in the determination Harris has to unite the country, not seeing America as highly polarized right now, but seeing America as one. One for all genders. One for all races. One for all cultures. And one for all Americans. 

This oneness was lost in the midst of some men in power trying to dismiss and even take away the rights of women everywhere. It was as though all of those decades of women gaining the right to divorce, to own land, to vote, to get an abortion, to holding the same jobs as their male counterparts, was seemingly fading away. The rhetoric of our then President discouraged women, deeming us not as humans, but objects. We would see our very own President talk and even act in ways towards women that many women would’ve seen in the fifties and sixties, when women were just mere housewives and nothing else. The respect, and even rights, for women were slowly slipping away each day that went by. Yet suddenly, we were saved with hope and courage from our very own who understood us best.

Seeing Kamala Harris getting elected as Vice President not only spewed hope within myself, but it created a sense of enlightenment for my future, especially for the daughter that I may have one day. It is exciting, yet a little terrifying to think that my decisions for my country now, will create the course that I, along with millions of other women, will go on to courageously pursue. After a tumultuous four years of being under power from a man who would constantly dismiss the rights and needs of women, women from all walks of life can finally take a deep breath and truly feel like the American government has finally got their back. It is because of one woman who saw her own mother never give up in the face of adversity and sometimes even hate, have the willingness to do what some may say was impossible. That impossible is no longer. Because after centuries upon centuries of women getting belittled, torn apart, called names, getting our rights taken away, and kicked down — we stood back up. Kamala Harris stood up. Women of all ages stood up. Women of all races stood up. Women stood up. Now, we will forever stand up because the hope and prosperity for the future of women has been restored with this one, monumental win for women. A win for all.