Finally, A Woman In The White House
Four years after women took to the streets to protest a misogynist president, Kamala Harris was sworn in as the first female vice president of the United States. She is also the first Black and Asian American vice president. Her husband, the self-described “second gentleman,” was by her side.
Not bad.
For so many women around the country, particularly Black and Asian women, it’s an emotional day. Hundreds of thousands are wearing pearls in honour of Harris, who has worn her signature necklace at other pivotal moments in her life.
And as the vice-president has said, girls around the country were watching. Never again do we have to tell our daughters that a woman hasn’t been elected to the White House. Justice Sonia Sotamayor, the first Latina Supreme Court justice (nominated by the first Black president) swore Harris in.
“It’s a huge, historic, emotional day for women. Both personally and on this issue that I’ve been working on for my lifetime,” said Saru Jayaraman, who has long advocated for women’s rights as the president of the nonprofit One Fair Wage. “My children are half Black and half Indian, and Kamala Harris is them in the White House.”
Representative Barbara Lee shared a picture Wednesday morning of herself wearing pearls with special significance.
“I’m wearing Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s pearls, given to me by her goddaughter, who said that her godmother ‘would not want it any other way.’ ” she tweeted. “Because of Shirley Chisholm, I am. Because of Shirley Chisholm, Vice President Harris is.”
Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to Congress and the first to run for the Democratic nomination for president in 1972. Gloria Steinem also paid tribute to Chisholm in a statement.
“I celebrate her, President Barack Obama, President Joe Biden, and each one of the women and men who have led to this moment when Vice President Kamala Harris brings us a step closer to democracy,” Steinem said.
Senator Amy Klobuchar,...
