A Woman Vice President of the United States or Kamala Harris and the American Dream
20th January 2021 was a historic day in the US for many reasons, but mainly because we saw our first woman Vice President, Kamala Harris, a daughter of immigrants, a South Asian mother and a Jamaican father. It comes after a chaotic 4 years under Donald Trump which has been marred with controversy from the very beginning of his presidency. For many immigrants seeing Donald Trump win felt like a huge slap in the face. Especially after the past 8 years with Obama, we perhaps naively thought that we were moving in the right direction, yet it’s clear now to see that there’s still much work to be done in the US.
The past year saw racial tension reach an all-time high with the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor triggering large scale Black Lives Matter protests not only in the US but also taking a Pan African turn with Black people across the diaspora standing in solidarity and calling for the end of unlawful killing of Black people across the globe. The past summer was a stark reminder of how hard it is to be a Black person in America. With the protests and the discussions around race came the surge of “white allies” showing their support through social media. ‘Black Out Tuesday’ saw Instagram users use their platform to show support for the Black Lives Matter Movement and speaking out against police brutality. It also led to the discussion surrounding Black culture and the influence it has in mainstream media, yet often we are rarely given the acknowledgement. Our words, hair and music are often appropriated in mainstream media and yet Black women especially are practically invisible in mainstream media.
For Black Americans seeing Kamala Harris and Barack Obama together at the inauguration was an iconic moment, the world was finally acknowledging us. Ever since Obama’s historic victory it has been a constant topic “How soon will be see another Black president?” Many American’s argued that Obama’s victory was a fluke and that we would have to wait 40 more presidents to see another Black one. Especially with Hilary Clinton’s devastating loss in 2016 we were brutally reminded that there’s a silent majority in this country that is frustrated at the advancement of Black people and women in this country and are determined to shut us up and keep us at the bottom.
As Black women, we know that we are already at a disadvantage purely down to the fact that we are both Black and female. Often we are overlooked in society, it is a well-known fact that we are the most disrespected persons in America and yet we are the most well educated group but despite all this we still earn significantly less than our white counterparts. It was exciting seeing a Black woman become Vice President even more so knowing that there’s a strong possibility of her becoming President one day, if anything were to happen to Biden. The idea that we could possibly see our first female President be a Black woman is going to inspire a new generation of Black girls.
As an African immigrant, I know all too well the sacrifices it takes to succeed in this country. Many of our parents that immigrated from African whether it be to Europe or the US always had big dreams for us. They were determined for us to succeed and achieve the “American Dream”, a good job, big house and family. Often they would work multiple jobs to provide for us. For new immigrants seeing Obama take high office symbolised the American dream. Obama, the son of an African immigrant becoming president showed many Black people across the country that anything is possible. Now seeing Kamala Harris take position as Vice President for many Black women in the country it was a turning point. As someone who immigrated here from Africa it motivated me to continue to work hard and make a name for myself in this country while also not forgetting my African roots. At Ivory B we are proud of our African influences which is obvious with our authentic Mudcloth fabric.
Seeing all that Kamala Harris has achieved has truly made me proud to be an immigrant in this country. After all it wasn’t too long ago that Black women were even given the right to vote and now one of us is helping run the country.