For Those Who See Themselves in Kamala Harris, the Inauguration Is Cause for a Careful Celebration
For many, January 20 represents a symbolic endpoint to the trauma of the Trump presidency, one that they have been counting down to in the months, weeks, and days since Joseph R. Biden Jr. clinched the 2020 presidential election. But for others, Inauguration Day is a cause for celebration, as Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who has risen to the second-highest office in American politics, represents a glass ceiling shattered. Her often-touted amalgam of identities—Black woman, South-Asian woman, first-generation American, HBCU graduate, sorority member—are a source of pride for the people who share them, and even with the specter of COVID-19 and violence hanging over them, they are finding reason to fete and reflect on the significance of her position.
Malcolm X's quote from a 1962 speech, “The most un-protected person in America is the Black woman," feels bitterly prescient in the days leading up to Harris's inauguration. Security is the word on everyone's lips after the harrowing Capitol siege on January 6. And reports that panic buttons had been removed from the office of Representative Ayanna Pressley prior to the insurrection are a reminder that Black women in public office face unique safety challenges that their white and male counterparts do not.
Tami Sawyer, a Shelby county commissioner and activist in Memphis, is all too familiar with the vitriol that comes with being a Black woman holding public office. "I've had personal security off and on for most of my tenure," she says. Because she is an elected official and has worked to remove Confederate statues in her city, as well as been vocal about Black Lives Matter, she has seen abuse that ranges from being called the N-word to images of her hanging from a noose. Based on what she has seen at the local level, what happened at the Capitol wasn't surprising. "For me, it wasn't anything new. What was most troubling was the massiveness of it and the fact that the Capitol Police and the FBI were so naive about whiteness that they would ignore such a credible threat—something we all could have known was possible."
Still, Sawyer plans to celebrate Inauguration Day, safely. "I will be rooting for Kamala Harris from home." Like Harris, Sawyer is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and if the circumstances were different, she would've loved to break out her signature pink and green blazers for the occasion.
Fellow members of AKA share Sawyer's joy, proud of what Harris's inauguration represents. "Outside of a COVID world, it definitely would have been a next-level celebration, pink and green fur coats, and all that stuff," laughs Stacey Gayle, a first-generation Jamaican American and AKA member based in New York. The inauguration comes just five days after the sorority's founding day anniversary, on January 15, but beyond the sorority connection, Harris is a symbol of what is possible. In the wake of the transformative events of 2020—the pandemic and the uprisings against police brutality—Gayle cofounded the nonprofit Know Your Rights BK to help people in her community learn about their voting, housing, and Second Amendment rights.
"As a West Indian woman, the day that they announced that Biden won the election, I called my aunt in tears, because my family came to this country wanting to build a life for us," she says. A Hampton grad, Gayle also appreciates the resounding message that Harris's success, as well as that of Georgia trailblazers Stacey Abrams and Raphael Warnock, sends to people who doubt the power of an education from a historically Black college or university.
For Howard alum and journalist Brittany Luse, the inauguration is more about moving beyond the past four years. "Her election is significant, and I do get some joy out of the fact that she and I went to the same college, but I don't know if I have enough excitement to really celebrate," Luse says. To know that the new vice president shares a common experience as a Bison is meaningful to Luse, but recent threats on state capitals leading up to the inauguration remain a cause for concern. "It's hard for me to think about celebrating when I'm also wondering about the safety of so many Americans who just might be sheltering within their homes during that time for more than one reason," Luse says.
Seeing beyond the inauguration is important for Kavita Khandekar Chopra, a member of SAAVETX, a South Asian progressive organizing group that is hosting a food bank dropoff and Zoom celebration on January 20. "We wanted to acknowledge where our country is still at and the reality that Inauguration Day doesn’t fix everything immediately for everyone," Chopra says. She explains that key issues, like adequately addressing the COVID crisis and vaccine rollout, are top of mind, especially because many in her community are frontline health workers. Still, as a mother of one, Harris's inauguration is poignant for her and her daughter. "It means everything!" she says.
In many ways, the inauguration of Harris as vice president mirrors that of President Barack Obama's: Both represent many worlds and are sources of pride for millions. But with Harris, there is the underlying concern that her race and gender make her a target. Though that fear for Obama's safety never materialized during his tenure, the recent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is a reminder of how fragile things have always been. It is also a reminder that the rhetoric of representational politics and post-racialism that clouded the Obama presidency are not as powerful as people would like to believe. Despite all her accomplishments, Harris will continue to be a source of rage for people who hate the multiracial democracy that she symbolizes.
For those who see themselves reflected in Harris's rise, January 20 is a time for celebration, muted though it may be. The threat of COVID and violence means that people will gather via Zoom instead of at the nation's capital, but joy is still there. The recognition of the significance of what the moment means is still there. And we will all be watching with bated breath.
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