The Power and Promise of Kamala Harris

I speak often about what it means to be a Black woman in elected office, representing multiple marginalized identities that are both highly visible and invisible at the same time. That’s the reality when you break hundred-year concrete ceilings and become a “first.”

The fact that Kamala Harris is where she is now says everything. I have no doubt that, growing up, she was required to be twice as good for half the credit. Time and time again, she has broken barriers, made history, and led with strength and humanity. She is uniquely and exceptionally qualified to be the next President of the United States of America.

Picturing her on the dais, accepting the Democratic nomination, poised to become the first woman, first Black woman, and first Indian American President of the United States—it’s emotional for me.

It’s emotional because it's personal. Her story is the story of millions in America. We see ourselves reflected in her.

Like Kamala, I was raised by a strong woman who taught me the words of Shirley Chisholm and Toni Morrison.

Like Kamala, I went to my first protests and community meetings in a stroller.

She and I have faced many of the same challenges and roadblocks. As women making our way in politics, we've been met with biases and misogynoir. We know what it's like for your victories to be qualified as circumstance and your stumbles to be credited to your character.

Like Kamala, I was blessed to meet the love of my life and become a bonus mom (“Momala” in her case), building a beautiful, blended family.

She made history as the first woman of color to serve as Attorney General of California and the second Black woman in the U.S. Senate. I made history as the first Black woman to serve Massachusetts in Congress.

Like Kamala, my life and career have been defined by a fierce commitment to public service and an abiding belief in government as a force for good.

And like Kamala, I have been many “firsts,” writing the blueprint for someone else’s survival—but I vow to never be the last.

It’s no surprise that Republicans have already sought to weaponize her identity against her, to dub her as “the DEI candidate.” It’s an easy attack—and a predictable one. Bigotry and dog whistles like these are the tired playbook of a party whose policies have become dangerous and deeply unpopular.

Make no mistake: Identity matters and representation is powerful. Kamala is a woman of color. A loving Momala. Maya’s sister and Doug’s wife. She is also a former Attorney General. A scholar. A history-making U.S. Senator. And the sitting Vice President. She is the first one in the room and the last one at the table when important decisions are made. So let’s be clear: “Representation” is just one of many reasons Vice President Harris is the most qualified person for this job and this moment.

In a time when reproductive rights are diminishing daily, Kamala has been a powerful champion and effective messenger for abortion justice, IVF, and birth control. As a leading voice on student debt cancellation, I say sincerely that Kamala has been an engaged and responsive partner. We’ve worked together on efforts to address the maternal health crisis, advance housing justice, demand paid family leave, and protect voting rights.

There has been a seismic shift in the presidential election. Kamala is officially the Democratic nominee. And in picking Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate—an educator, champion for workers, and defender of reproductive freedom—Kamala once again demonstrated her leadership, her judgment, and her commitment to making progress for our communities.

Candidates are human, and they must learn in public. As an elected official, I know our strength lies in being responsive and accountable. Kamala is committed to earning the trust of voters who have felt unseen and unheard by status quo politics.

The stakes in this election couldn’t be clearer. And Vice President Harris has given us reason to hope—a deep and abiding hope that is less about wishing and more about working.

Despite their empty, morally bankrupt promises of unity, Donald Trump and Republicans have made their agenda clear: to attack our most basic rights and freedoms.

In Donald Trump’s America, women reading this article today, from Massachusetts to Mississippi, could be forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term—even one caused by rape or incest. Kamala is a champion for abortion justice.

In Donald Trump’s America, housing prices would continue to skyrocket while people are thrown in jail for being unhoused. Kamala will continue working to end homelessness.

In Donald Trump’s America, fossil fuel companies would thrive while our babies suffer in cities that are too hot and ill-equipped to protect our most vulnerable from climate change. Kamala is a champion for the Green New Deal and would be the most strident environmental justice President in history.

We have the opportunity to embrace a politics rooted in community, equity, and dignity. To leave our children and grandchildren a better world than we inherited.

There are less than three months until Election Day. With Vice President Harris at the top of the ticket—as a tribute to my departed mother, for the future of my teenage daughter, and on behalf of everyone who has ever been left out and left behind—I will fight like hell for a better future.

Let’s go.