“While I may be the first woman and this office, I will not be the last,” Harris said during her victory speech on Saturday, Nov. 7. “Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.” // Photo courtesy of Alexander Tamargo / Getty.
The Associated Press declared former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris the winners of the 2020 presidential election on Saturday, Nov. 7. Harris, the daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, will be the first Black and South Asian-American woman to hold office as vice president of the United States.
“Kamala Harris’ win is historical and can provide hope for young women and girls across the country,” said Alice Patry, an undecided freshman. “It says that a woman can hold office that high in the land.”
At the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, Harris gave her victory speech thanking all the women who shaped her into who she is today. She praised her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, for believing in the American dream. Gopalan, an Indian immigrant, came to the U.S. at the age of 19. With the help of her family, she enrolled in the University of California at Berkeley as one of the few immigrant students in her class.
“[S]he believed so deeply in an America where a moment like this is possible,” said Harris, regarding her mother’s triumphs in this country,
She continued her speech with an address to all women, no matter what race, to believe that this moment can be possible for them as well.
“Every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities,” Harris said. “And to the children of our country, regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message – dream with ambition, lead with conviction and see yourself in a way that others may not see you, simply because they’ve never seen it before, and we will applaud you every step of the way.”
At Hofstra, some students of color feel inspired by Harris’ historic victory.
“Being able to say my vice president is Black is a thing of pride,” said Joshua Omolola, a freshman history major. “It also re-instills the ideal that America is the land of opportunity. Through oppression and pain, African Americans have progressed together as a society and it’s amazing that this year, of all years, we are able to see ourselves in the highest seats of government.” Omolola added that this election has played a role in America’s continuing story with civil rights. “Although for the last four years there [have] been attempts to silence the voice of African Americans, we have been resilient in the form of a new president and vice president.”
Even though many people expressed feelings of gratitude and joy, they are still hoping that this administration will be committed to doing what they have promised.
“I hope that the Biden-Harris administration will improve … prisoners’ rights and provide them with the health care and medical care that they need while they are working on creating a new system,” Patry said. “Along with this I would like it if they would address women’s right to get an abortion.”
After Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, many Americans fear that Roe v. Wade, a Supreme Court decision that protects a woman’s right to an abortion, will be overturned. During the vice presidential debate, Harris shared her stance on the issue.
“I will always fight for a woman’s right to make a decision about her own body,” Harris said. “It should be her decision and not that of [President] Donald Trump and Vice President Michael Pence,” Harris said.
In the wake of the Black Lives Matter Movement and the push for police reform, many Black Americans are demanding change within every police department. Harris was asked during the debate if Breonna Taylor, who was killed by Louisville police officers in March after they forced entry into her apartment as part of a drug investigation, was given justice.
“We need reform of our policing in America and our criminal justice system, which is why Joe [Biden] and I will immediately ban chokeholds and carotid holds,” Harris said. “George Floyd would be alive today if we did that. We will require a national registry for police officers who break the law.”
Many Hofstra students believe that the Biden-Harris administration will soon bring this to fruition.
“In terms of civil rights, I’m confident the administration will work to improve relations in the Black community and ensure there’s a change in police relations,” Omolola said.
Harris’ win is also a push to strengthen course curriculum and acknowledge more women of color in high-ranking positions.
“A crucial glass ceiling has finally broken,” said Cindy Rosenthal, a professor of drama and dance and co-director of Hofstra’s women’s studies program. “We can now teach women’s studies from that knowledge and perspective Kamala Harris brings to the office of the vice president of the United States: a background and a journey that many Black women, South Asian women, children of two immigrant parents, those raised by a single mother and graduates of historically Black colleges share. These factors will undoubtedly shape the content and the trajectory of our courses going forward.”
The election results, while pleasing to some Americans, left others feeling disappointed. Some feel that more work needs to be done beyond this election to reunite the country and address stark divisions in its political sphere.
“No matter which way you voted, our democracy is bigger than us, and we are the keepers of it,” Omolola said. “Having conversation and dialogue is the only way to keep our democracy alive and well. Keep on challenging and holding our political officials accountable.”
