On Nov. 7, a few days after the 2020 election, Kamala Harris became America’s first female, first Black, and first South Asian vice president. She is a California senator who aims to represent all “historically underrepresented” women in American politics (CNN politics). 

Harris got her education from Howard University, a black university in Washington DC. During her time at the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc, she developed her political visions. 

Harris shares, “You didn’t have to be confined by anyone else’s idea of what it means to be Black…You could be a fine arts student and also be class president. You could be homecoming queen and be the head of the science club. You could be a member of a sorority and be in student government and want to go to law school, and it encouraged you to be your full self.”

Her historical win is an accomplishment for black women who make the “backbone” of American democracy. 

Harris tweeted, “I want to speak directly to the Black women in our country. Thank you. You are too often overlooked and yet are asked time and again to step up and be the backbone of our democracy. We could not have done this without you.” 

It is evident that Harris has strong ideals for women of all races. In her speech on Saturday night in Delaware, she reminisced about her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris who was an Indian immigrant, and addressed the “Black women, Asian, White, Latina, and Native American women… who fought and sacrificed so much for equality, liberty, and justice for all.” Harris celebrates differences and claims that is what unites us as Americans. In her speech, she recognized other Black women who have fought for political rights and access to ballots such as Mary Church Terrell, Mary McLeod Bethune, Fannie Lou Hamer, Diane Nash, Constance Baker Motley, and Shirley Chisholm. These shoutouts not only strengthened her arguments but also unified all Americans who sympathize with similar injustices. 

In addition to women empowerment and rights, Harris has several other plans for America. She has spoken of “reimagining how we do public safety in America” rather than “defunding the police department.” Her opinions on health are not concrete yet, but she was one of the first Democrats to join “Senator Bernie Sanders’ 2017 Medicare for All” bill to provide government-run medical insurance for every American. Harris also wants the US economy to tackle climate change. Like most Democrats, she advocates gun control and promotes regulation of gun manufacturers, mandatory background checks, tightening loopholes and an assault weapons ban. Lastly, she is concerned about immigration policies. She can sympathize with the immigrants and has pledged to offer a path to citizenship to the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the US.

From ordinary Americans to influential celebrities, many have supported Harris’s impressive plans for America. Specifically, the Hollywood industry helped Kamala Harris with funding. This year, many celebrities were actively participating in the 2020 elections and supporting their favored candidates, urging their fans to vote. Harris lives in Los Angeles and has attracted some of the top Hollywood stars to her campaigns. Money from the entertainment industry is known as “a pillar of Democratic fundraising”  which finances the parties, and candidates’ legal and personal expenses (latimes.com). She raised the second-largest funds in the 2020 race, “receiving $13.2 million at the beginning of April,” according to the Federal Election Commission. Some Hollywood donors have supported her since her first campaign, in 2013, with Steven Spielberg, Kate Capshaw, Chuck Lorre, J.J Abrams, and Jeffery Katzenberg are the highest donors. 

Harris has already started planning for the future of America; she recently tweeted, “Joe Biden and I are ready to get COVID-19 under control. We’re ready to rebuild our economy. We’re ready to meet the challenges of the climate crisis. We’re ready to act to address systemic racism. And we’re ready to fight for you.”

Her plans have received much admiration, and her impactful speeches promise for a better America. She was just elected as the next Vice President, and we all anticipate her future success.