Breaking Barriers: Kamala Harris and the Unstoppable Force of Black Women

As I woke up Sunday morning, half-awake, a message flashed across my phone: Joe Biden had decided not to pursue re-election. A plethora of emotions came over me, from great sadness to anger. My heart hurt, and tears filled my eyes. Though I admire and respect President Biden, my heart sank for my nation. For days, the media relentlessly pounded a 90-minute debate performance, and the power of the media seeped into the crevices of this nation, until a groundswell of groupthink called for him to step down. And he did. Some may say he gave up, but I feel he stepped up, putting the citizens over politics and doing what was best for the country. He may have had to step down in the next four years, but his decisions until then would have been remarkable for the citizens of this nation.

As I feverishly scrolled through social media to glimpse what was being shared and said, another post was shared by Joe Biden: he is endorsing Kamala Harris. I think my soul left my body for a second. I mean, a Black woman president? I never fathomed this in my lifetime. It felt so real, then the reality of the hill she would have to climb washed over me. I had no words.

Kamala Harris was chosen by Black women to become vice president. A letter went out to Joe Biden letting him know it was important that a Black woman be his VP choice if he wanted the support of the backbone of the party. For the Democratic party, Black women overwhelmingly and consistently vote for Democrats. They say it because we like the plantation, but I say it is because we built the party. We know each other well. The Democrats do not win without us. No matter how many checks those in power write, our vote moves mountains. And Kamala Harris became the first Black/Asian Vice President of the United States.

Joe endorsing VP Harris was a major win because the truth is the Democrats do not want her to be the nominee. Let the record show that even in this, those who called for Joe to step down had nothing to do with his age and everything to do with her complexion.

As a Black woman, I know all too well how this society feels about us. We can dance on your stage, but making decisions for a nation is not welcome. But we do not care. Women who do not look like me are already spouting racist tropes, trying to instill fear in the hearts of white people. The thing about Kamala is she is ready for the fight, and so are we. Not only because it is a historic moment—that is just icing on the cake—but because with this nation in a state of division, VP Harris offers a message of unity. We claim her, but she is a true woman of the diaspora. With a Southeast Asian mother and Jamaican father, raised in Oakland and educated at an HBCU, Vice President Kamala Harris understands the world from a unique vantage point. In a nation of many different people, it is important that we have a woman with a vision that includes everyone. A vision that is for justice for all. A vision that makes way for our unique dreams.

As senator, she fought for the people, and as Vice President, she sees all people, as she has throughout her dynamic career. She has devoted her life to finding solutions for all people. Some solutions take longer to achieve, but they are on the agenda, more than I have seen in my lifetime. I have never heard any official at that level speak of maternal mortality in Black and Indigenous women. She put that at the top of her game plan. While others are rolling around golf courses, she is building a future for this nation.

Black women see how hard she is working, and we have her back. I am still awake because I was on a call with 45,000-plus women who have pledged to put in the time and effort to make certain VP Harris becomes Madame President Harris. While others were out on Twitter trolling, we signed up 5,000 volunteers and raised over one million dollars in less than three hours. Committing to the cause of freedom, the call was healing and affirming. With luminaries, the Divine 9, politicians, community leaders, and ordinary citizens, we not only pledged our support for the win but thanked Joe Biden for his service and new vision for the future of this nation.

Here is the deal: when Black women win, everyone wins. It is built into the fabric of who we are. We do not see ourselves; we see humanity, and we are the arbiters of possibilities. When we unify, mountains move and lives change. We do not know how to be just about ourselves. That is for sure. We invite everyone to the table for a delicious serving of love and compassion. We lead with our hearts and build community everywhere we go. The mothers of civilization and the keepers of the faith. And because of how we see the world, we continue to serve with grace, knowing God has us. When they push us down, we rise above and honor the mission God put on our hearts. That is the core of Black women that many will never understand. Some call it magic; I call it divine. Tonight, with the divine 45,000, and by the end of the week, it will be the divine one million. Not simply because Kamala deserves us, but because the United States will be better because of it. We are up against a regime that is working to destroy the very fabric of this country. To erase our contributions and send us back to a time our elders fought against. This time, we will fight this regime with love. The sweet love for freedom, inclusion, and humanity. This is the fight, and this fuels the vision. Because this time, it is not just for them, we are included in the win.

Every day, I don’t know what I will wake up to, but tonight I will rest with hope in my heart. Not because of a historic moment, but because 45,000 Black women came together for a common cause and moved mountains.

Monica Wisdom

Founder, Black Women Amplified

Consultant,

www.monicawidsomhq.com