For every momentous occasion in our new Vice President's life, Kamala Harris has donned a signature accessory: A pearl necklace. When graduating from Howard University, Harris had a single strand of white pearls—a nod to her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, where pearls are an important part of the group's foundation story. When receiving the COVID-19 vaccination and swearing into Congress, Harris accessorized with black Tahitian pearls. Today, as she takes the vice presidential oath of office, the first woman and person of color to hold her new position, she is wearing a string of pearls created by Puerto Rican jeweler Wilfredo Rosado.
She's not the only one. A Facebook group called "Wear Pearls on Jan 20th, 2021" invites women and girls across the world to join Vice President Harris, and wear pearls in solidarity. For her supporters, Harris' necklaces have become a symbol of female empowerment.
On November 7, when Harris gave her victory speech to a crowd of cheering supporters, she said, "But while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last." For the young girls watching, she told them, "Dream with ambition, lead with conviction and see yourselves in a way that others may not simply because they've never seen it before."
Today, as more young women and girls see the nation's first woman of color become Vice President and imagine themselves one day following in her footsteps, they might just be wearing pearls, too.
-
Before Hosting ‘Saturday Night Live,’ Olivia Rodrigo Gives Us Festive Red Vintage Versace—and Combat Boots‘Tis the season!
-
Anne Hathaway’s Look Is Ushering Us Into Winter In the Most Beautiful Way
Angelic winter white is a trend we can get behind.
-
Julia Stiles Steals the Show With Surprise ‘Save the Last Dance’ Cameo on ‘Saturday Night Live’
This is, randomly, the second time this week Stiles has reenacted a character of hers from the early aughts time period.
-
36 Ways Women Still Aren't Equal to Men
It's just one of the many ways women still aren't equal to men.
-
How New York's First Female Governor Plans to Fight for Women If Reelected
Kathy Hochul twice came to power because men resigned amid sexual harassment scandals. Here, how she's leading differently.
-
Why the 2022 Midterm Elections Are So Critical
As we blaze through a highly charged midterm election season, Swing Left Executive Director Yasmin Radjy highlights rising stars who are fighting for women’s rights.
-
Tammy Duckworth: 'I’m Mad as Hell' About the Lack of Federal Action on Gun Safety
The Illinois Senator won't let the memory of the Highland Park shooting just fade away.
-
Roe Is Gone. We Have to Keep Fighting.
Democracy always offers a path forward even when we feel thrust into the past.
-
The Supreme Court's Mississippi Abortion Rights Case: What to Know
The case could threaten Roe v. Wade.
-
Sex Trafficking Victims Are Being Punished. A New Law Could Change That.
Victims of sexual abuse are quietly criminalized. Sara's Law protects kids that fight back.
-
My Family and I Live in Navajo Nation. We Don't Have Access to Clean Running Water
"They say that the United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Why are citizens still living with no access to clean water?"
