By Allison Weiner, TWR Fellow ‘20
THIS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, IT’S TIME TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT WHAT HAS LED US TO THIS POINT IN HISTORY, WHERE WE ARE NOW, AND WHERE WE NEED TO BE.
For hundreds of years, women have fought the seemingly never-ending battle for equality. Even after major turning points such as the first woman's rights convention in Seneca Falls in 1848, where Sojourner Truth gave a heart wrenching speech about what it’s like to be a female slave, this fight did not end. The struggle is still alive, 100 years after Susan B. Anthony first led the women’s suffrage movement, which implemented the ratification of the 19th amendment to the US constitution that gave women the right to vote. These well-known events are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the history of the women’s rights movement.
Women have stood up for equal rights throughout history by occupying traditionally male-dominated spaces. Shirley Chisholm exemplified the notion of equality when she became the first female African American to be elected to Congress as a member of the House of Representatives in 1968. Not only was she a member of Congress, but she was also a major advocate for human rights. She was one of the founders of the National Women’s Political Caucus and supported the Equal Rights Amendment. Chisholm made history in the United States as an incredible advocate for both women’s rights and equality for all, paving the way for work that has been done and that which we still have to do.
To commemorate accomplishments like these, Congress passed a bill in 1981 that would eventually result in March becoming Women’s History Month. The bill originally requested that the President proclaim the week of March 7, 1982 Women’s History Week. This resolution lasted for five years, until Congress passed a bill in 1987 which declared the month of March to be Women’s History Month, brought about by the National Women’s History project. Although it is important to uplift the voices of women and learn from them every day, this month serves as a reminder to learn from history so we can truly turn remembrance into action.
Women’s rights are still not fully realized in the United States, but huge milestones are being made, with one such turning point on January 20, 2021. On that day, Kamala D. Harris became the first female Vice President of the United States. Harris’ inauguration was also a significant achievement for communities of color since she is the first black person and the first person of South Asian descent to be the Vice President. Youth Action Fellow Chandler Lawton expressed the significance of this feat when she said, “Harris being elected means… that I don’t have to settle as an African American female because she didn’t.” With a Jamaican father and Indian mother, Vice President Harris made history that day. And it’s about time.
When Harris announced that she would be running for President, she purposefully announced it on Martin Luther King Jr. Day so she could pay tribute to him and make sure that his message and legacy would be kept alive, should she win. She even made the colors of her campaign red, blue, and yellow in order to commemorate Shirley Chisholm and her historic campaign. Chandler Lawton continued on by saying that “[she doesn’t] have to fit the stereotypes America has placed upon [her]. [Harris] show[ed] me that your background doesn’t define your passion, and hard work does.” Harris is the face that represents the hope that one day, our country can overcome the struggle of violence and inequality against people of color and make “never again” a reality, once and for all.
Kamala Harris becoming the first female Vice President is such a monumental event in history because she provides so much optimism regarding the possibility of ending misogyny forever. Boundaries must continue to be pushed, and the battle for equality must continue— except now, it’s different. The United States has a female in a high position of power in the White House that understands first hand what women, specifically women of color, struggle with everyday. It brings hope that one day America will be able to put an end to the injustices women and communities of color have had to endure.
Although Kamala Harris is now the Vice President, this does not mean that we can stop dedicating ourselves to advocates for change. There is still so much work to be done, which raises some important questions. What can we do to work together in order to get one step closer to ending the inequality that women and people of color experience every day? What can we do to ensure that we are preventing hatred from getting worse and eventually eliminate it? And, what can we do to make sure that the legacy of not only Kamala Harris, but also all the people in history that fought against oppression, are remembered in a meaningful way so we can truly turn remembrance into action?
We can use Kamala Harris’s Vice Presidency to energize our youth and build a better future; a future where gender and racial inequality don’t exist. A future where people who work hard to achieve their goals, can actually achieve their goals. A future where a young girl can not only dream of becoming the President but could actually be the President. Kamala Harris becoming the Vice President is so much more than another election for the history book; it is a critical turning point in American politics, and it will pave the way to end identity-based injustice once and for all.
Allison Weiner is a senior at Terre Haute South Vigo High School. She is also a Youth Action Fellow and a Youth Action Network Founder. Likewise, she is on the managing committee for National STAND and is one of the chapter leaders for her high school’s STAND chapter.
Banner Image Source: https://www.kpcw.org/post/kamala-harris-sworn-vice-president#stream/0