Kamala Harris: breaking history and stereotypes

Emily and Maddie, the Current Affairs Prefects, discussed the result of the 2020 US Elections last week, and the strong female figure Kamala Harris portrays to all young women of the future.

Anyone that has been watching the news for the last four years, but especially these last two weeks, has likely seen all the coverage of the 2020 US Presidential Election. 

The race was incredibly tight, which was quite surprising, which meant that we had to wait quite a few days for the results. Between Trump/Pence, and Biden/Harris, there was definitely a duo that we wanted elected. 

Thankfully, the Democrats won the election. Biden was elected with a record number of votes for a presidential candidate, flipping key states on the Rust Belt and states that have been red for more than a decade.

For us, as female Global Politics students, and for many young girls across the world, a massive highlight of the results was the nomination of a Black, South Asian woman as Vice-President Elect. 

We feel that it’s incredibly important for so many young girls to finally see themselves reflected in politics, something that is admittedly often dominated by older white men. Kamala’s story is one to be respected and admired; she was raised by her single mother, an immigrant from India who arrived in the US at the age of 19 in search of better opportunities. 

Kamala progressed through the ranks as a district attorney, up to her election as a US Senator in 2017. She did make a bid for the democratic nomination for president, however, she was unsuccessful. 

This did not matter though, as she was then chosen by Joe Biden to be his running mate on the campaign trail. Her win gives clear evidence to young girls across the world; that if she can do it, they can too. 

Her persistence and commitment to her career and the multiple successes that she has had serve as a motivation for young girls all around the world. Whether you agree with her politics or not, no one can deny that she has made her mark in the history books for good. 

The Abbey houses students of all ages, and for even the youngest of our student body to be able to grow up and see someone who looks like them, behaves like them, dresses like them is something that our age group never truly ever had. We hope that Vice President Elect Harris can continue to break barriers and prove that anybody in this world can do anything they put their mind to.

 

Emily and Maddie, Upper VI (Year 13)

Share