2024 was memorable for a lot of reasons.
While there were many incredible cultural developments, like major rap beef, new albums and genre exploration, the resurgence of club culture and fashion, and fantastic new films, arguably one of the most notable moments in 2024 was Kamala Harris’s campaign for the presidency.
Kamala Harris herself is one of the most impressive and accomplished politicians in the United States government. While she certainly has some skeletons in her closet, as is typical of all American politicians, there is no denying her remarkable impact on the US government and on America itself.
The former Vice President was born in 1964 in Oakland, California to her parents Donald J. Harris from Jamaica and Shyamala Gopalan from India. Though her parents separated shortly after she and her sister were born and she stayed with her mother, Kamala Harris remained close with her father and frequently visited her family in India. She went on to attend the highly exclusive historically Black university Howard University as a political science and economics major. Harris pledged a Divine Nine sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) and was incredibly active on campus.
After graduating from Howard, Harris received her JD from UCSF (formerly UC Hastings) and worked as a deputy district attorney for eight years. She later became a district attorney and eventually ran for and just barely won her race for attorney general of California in 2010, making her the first woman and Black American to do so.
She later ran for an open Senate seat and won, becoming the first South Asian woman to do so. Eventually, she campaigned for the democratic presidential nomination in 2020, instead being offered a position as Joe Biden’s Vice President, which, of course, she accepted, once again, making history as the first female and first Black VP.
Her campaign for the presidency was by far one of the most incredible things I have seen in my years of political sentience.
Her utilization of young and diverse democratic social media interns in order to capture both the attention and the votes of younger generations was indescribable. While she fell short, it was clear that she put in the work. She arguable changed political culture and campaigning forever, becoming both a relatable meme and a force to be reckoned with. She was BRAT and she was Big Sister General, but she was and is mighty.
Of course, Harris’s incredible political work is massively impressive, but it is Harris herself that serves a testimony to the culmination of her many significant accomplishments.
Without trying to speak for or over Black women, love her or hate her, but Kamala Harris has absolutely changed the game for young Black women in America. She has shown them that their dreams, with work, can become more than reality- they can become both real and great.
What is most admirable about Kamala Harris is her realness. She has never faltered in the face of racism, but has never turned the other cheek. She has both carved and paved the way for more women like her to follow in her footsteps, proving that, while it is not a clear or easy path, it is a path, a possibility.
She is persistent, she is strong, and she is certainly one of the most important figures of our generation.
To end, I’d like to offer a quote by Harris’s mother, signifying an early recognition of her ability not only to change lives, but also the world.
Kamala, you may be the first to do many things. Make sure you are not the last.
Shyamala Gopalan to Kamala Harris