Wearing all black to school the day after the 2016 election results were in, my attempt at mourning the death of our democracy. Five years in the making, the recent coup d’etat validated those fears in a sick, twisted way. Watching the television in horror as our Capital was overrun, my mom returns an hour later, and one woman is already dead. D***** T**** was the master growth hacker for hate, insurrection, and division distributed by shocking yet unsurprising tweets and fueled by a steady stream of lies
That day in 2016, I was also mourning the death of the belief that I could do anything I want to as the realization started setting in of how our country views and treats women. I was fortunate to have lived 16 years oblivious to the reality that men can and will “grab ‘em by the p****” and not only will they face no consequences, they can and will be elected to the most powerful position on the planet. The most qualified candidate in history ran against the least qualified candidate in history, the presidential glass ceiling remained intact.
Flash-forward to today, January 20th 2020, and Kamala Harris made history as the nation’s first woman, Black, and South Asian American vice president. Millions of Americans will now be able to see themselves in the highest levels of government. A long 243 years later and a fitting end to four years of constant anxiety, inclusion trumping hate.
Kamala Harris is experiencing her own glass cliff moment, being elected amongst a background of complete chaos and sworn in with an audience of thousands of National Guard troops. For the millions at home watching, the swearing in of a strong and fearless leader shows that our democracy is resilient and that we can do whatever we set our minds and hearts on too.
Today her spark relights the fire of extinguished dreams.