Kamala Harris or how to break barriers being a woman, black and Asian American
"We did it, Joe," said U.S. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris when the media projected the Democratic victory in the November 3 presidential election. And while Joe Biden had achieved it, his running mate's victory is not inconsiderable, but it is one more milestone to add to the list of barriers he has overcome.
Harris's 56-year political career is filled with momentous achievements. The daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, she has served as district attorney of San Francisco, the first black female attorney general of California, and, in 2017, she became the second black U.S. senator.
From there, and as the first female vice president of the U.S. nation - also the first black person to achieve such a distinction - she will become the highest-ranking woman in U.S. history, an achievement hitherto held by Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.
Although the position of vice president is often dismissed as 'second rate,' assuming that it is basically testimonial, Harris will have the power to, for example, tip the balance in favor of the Democratic Party in the Senate, tied in number of Republican and Democratic members, thanks to her casting vote.
As a non-white woman in a predominantly white environment, her historic victory represents millions of often overlooked, historically underrepresented, and systematically ignored women. For the first time in the country's more than 200-year history, this profile becomes the recipient of this new power that Harris embodies.
"That I am here tonight is a testament to the dedication of generations before me," Harris recalled during his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in August.
For women, in general, her presence can make a difference, since one of the reasons for their low participation in politics is precisely the lack of role models. Harris's work can, therefore, alleviate the gender gap in politics.
"It just feels like Black girls like me can run for class president, Black girls like me can go for the big things in life like she did," 14-year-old Paris Bond told CNN.
“No one can deny the power of seeing somebody who shares an identity, like your gender or your race, which are so salient in American society, certainly, in a position of power,” says Colleen Ammerman, director of the Gender Initiative at Harvard Business School, according to Forbes magazine.
During her career in the White House, she has never failed to mention the problems she has faced while trying to make her way in politics, stressing that people have always tried to box her in. "I wasn't listening. And we won," she says.
The VP elect herself has alluded to the barriers she has broken down during her lifetime in electoral events. In her view, being the first requires that voters "see that you can free yourself from what has been". Perhaps, what best defines the path taken by Harris is the phrase that her mother, Shyamala, used to say: "You may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last".
The Vice Presidency places Harris as a strong candidate for the Presidency in future elections, should she choose to run again, as she did in the 2020 race.
In addition, should the president die or become incapacitated - Biden is 78 years old - she could gain access to the Oval Office in a country where the gender gap is still significant.
Currently, 122 of the 435 members of the House of Representatives are women, 27.2%. Although low, this is a record number of female representation.
In the Senate they make up 26%, they are 26 of 100. In total, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, only 25.1% of parliamentarians worldwide are women.
Furthermore, that Kamala Harris was the president of the richest, most powerful and influential country in the world would make a difference in a world where, in June 2019, only 11 women are heads of state and 12 heads of government, according to data released by UN Women.
Americans are divided over an eventual Kamala Harris presidency. A survey by Pew Research shows that half of the respondents believe Harris is "qualified" to serve as president, while 47% are against. A majority - 55 percent - expect her to exert the "right kind of influence" on the Biden Administration.
In contrast, another 36% believe that she will end up assuming an "excessive burden of responsibility," while only 7% anticipate that she will be a "token" figure.
Harris and Biden will be sworn in as vice president and president of the United States on Wednesday. "This is about the soul of America and our willingness to fight for it. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Let's get started," the vice president said as she won the election.
On the other hand, Biden's cabinet will have the most female presence in the history of the United States. The president-elect has nominated women for five of the 15 front-line positions, a number that surpasses by one the records set by his predecessors Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. The former two included four women in their original second term cabinets, while Obama did so in his first term.
Biden's nominations for positions in the U.S. Executive are historic for other reasons as well. As he promised, "both the White House and the Cabinet would look like the country". Even without gender parity, Biden's team will break records in diversity, breaking at least two 'glass ceilings.
On the list, Janet Yellen, the first woman to chair the U.S. Federal Reserve, the bank with the world's largest economy, stands out as the first woman to become Treasury Secretary. Also House member Deb Haaland for Secretary of the Interior who, if confirmed, would be the first Native American member of the cabinet.
Biden has also nominated Representative Marcia L. Fudge to head Housing and Urban Development, former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm to head the Department of Energy, and Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo as Secretary of Commerce.