Why Are Black Women So Excited About Kamala Harris as Biden’s VP Pick?
Why are we so excited that Senator Kamala Harris was selected as the running mate for presidential nominee Joe Biden? We are excited because this pick is larger than just a pick. This pick represents years of struggle. This is for every black girl and woman who has ever been told that she cannot do something. It’s for every black woman who has diminished themselves in hope of not being viewed as an angry black woman. This pick is for every black girl or woman who has remained quiet in the hope of not offending others or making others feel uncomfortable. Who has diminished herself to allow others to remain bigger! This is for every black woman that has been labeled, judged, or misunderstood.
This pick is for the black woman told her worth was not and would never be the same as a white man. For the black woman told she would have to work harder to be seen as equal, only to be paid less. For the black woman who has been the token friend or worker. This is for the young black girl told she wasn’t articulate enough. The black girl discouraged from wearing her natural hair and coils or whose hair has prevented her from getting a job or being viewed as beautiful. The pick is for the black girl told that her curves and features were not beautiful or acceptable. This pick is for the black girl who is exhausted from code-switching and cultural appropriation. This pick is for the black woman exhausted from being expected to be the spokesperson for an entire race of people.
This pick is for our ancestors who were brought here and those who died on the brutal route on the infested slave ships. This is for those who were enslaved for decades, rapped and beaten, broken away from their families, and who endured the pain of child-birth only to have their babies taken away and sold. This is for the enslaved woman whose babies were denied her milk so she could nurse the master’s white babies. This pick is for the black slave women whose bodies were used without anesthesia for science and medical advancement. This is for the black women whose ideas were stolen or whose visions were not heard when they said it, but applauded when others said the very same thing.
This pick is for Ruby Bridges and every black girl who desegregated a school, including Senator Harris herself. This pick is for Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and all of our civil rights icons. This pick is for Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley who lost their lives in the 16th Street church bombing in 1963. This pick is for the black women who couldn’t vote despite their rights and fight for the right to do so. Never in their wildest dreams would we not only have the right to vote but have the opportunity to vote for a ticket with a black woman Vice President.
This is for Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, and every other woman who has lost their life or a loved one to racial injustices. This pick is for every black woman that is a mother of a black child that she has to rear and send into this world. This is for every little black girl who has ever seen themselves as less than. This pick is for every black woman that leads cautiously. This is for the millions of black women walking with the #girlstrek movement for their health and power! This pick is for all of the black women defying the odds, becoming JDs, MDs, PhDs, and getting college degrees at record levels. This is for the black women who excel, despite the odds.
This pick is for you and me. It gives us hope and encourages us to be bold. As black women, we know our strength. We know our struggle. We know our value. We know our worth. But despite all that we know, we are excited for this national platform and opportunity because this run is representative in some way, shape, or form for every black girl and every black woman of something larger than ourselves.
So why are we excited? This pick represents all of our struggles, pain, and success. Senator Harris represents grace and hope. And that is why we are excited!
