Kamala Harris through the Eyes of Little Girls

Allowing Myself to be Seized by Hope

Photo from CNN of Eliana Guzmán-Snyder watching Harris.

I was homeschooling my kids during Covid, so we were able to watch the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris together. What a privilege it was to sit, snuggled on the couch next to my then-6-year-old daughter while Harris addressed the nation as the first female Vice President.

“A great experiment takes great determination. The will to do the work, and then the wisdom to keep refining, keep tinkering, keep perfecting. The same determination is being realized in America today. I see it in the scientists who are transforming the future. I see it in the parents who are nurturing generations to come, in the innovators and educators, in everyone, everywhere, who is building a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities.”

—Vice President Kamala Harris’ inauguration speech

I was so proud in that moment. I bought my daughter a book about Harris’ background and snuck into her room at night to take a photo of her reading it. This was her favorite book for weeks.

A few days ago I wrote that if Biden decides to step aside, nothing should change as far as our motives and messaging moving forward. Whoever the nominee is, Democrats have to fight to defeat Project 2025, rescue America from the greedy clutch of a billionaire dictator, and send a message to MAGA that we are permanently done with their christofascist control.

I wrote, “We should thank Biden for his service and legacy as the most progressive, get-sh*t-done president in modern history. We should wish him happiness and good health and be grateful for the 50+ years of service as a senator, vice president, and president.”

Today I want to say, Thank you, Mr. President, for your unmatched record of public service, your dedication to the well being of every American, and your vast accomplishments to move our country forward. We are better because of you.

And I was proud today when I got to tell my daughter, who is 10 now, that Kamala Harris has a very strong chance of becoming the next President of the United States. That we will most likely cast a ballot for her in November.

She squealed and jumped up and down as if I told her I was giving her tickets to the Eras Tour. Our daughters are seeing a world open up to them that generations before didn’t know was possible. Merely three generations ago, women won the right to vote. Up until several decades ago, women couldn’t open their own bank accounts. Only recently have women in all 50 states been allowed to divorce their husbands for any reason.

The past few weeks (and the proceeding 8 years) have been so dysfunctional, so painful, so terrifying, it felt good to feel seized by hope for once.

Our children do not know a world that hasn’t been tainted by Donald Trump and his toxic politics. My son was four and daughter two when Trump came on the scene. They think Trump is normal. I hate that for them.

One thing is for certain: Our country can no longer withstand Trump’s antics. It cannot withstand the hateful rhetoric that begets hateful and discriminatory legislation. It cannot withstand his constant barrage of scandals and corruption. It cannot withstand the unscrupulous lying and gaslighting.

It’s going to take a true champion to reverse the rot of Trumpism. I truly believe Harris is the best person to lead that effort and save democracy. She’s a prosecutor. He’s a felon. She locked up sexual predators. He prayed on women. She took on fraudsters. He is one.

Kamala clapped back at Trump when he tweeted this after she left the race in 2020.

And she’s beloved among (most) Democrats. She’s gotten a groundswell of support since the announcement: more than $50 million raised and a deluge of endorsements.

She was history-making as the first female lead prosecutor of the city of San Francisco. She was history-making as the first female attorney general of the state of California. She was history-making as the first Black/Asian American Senator. She was history-making as the first female vice president elected in the United States.

And she’s on her way to becoming a history-making president.

But perhaps her greatest accomplishment is that she never backed down from doing what was right, even when it meant challenging the powerful men in her own party. Her most impressive moment for me in the 2020 Democratic Primary was when she confronted then-Vice President Joe Biden for working with segregationists during his time in the U.S. Senate.

Kamala Harris: "I do not believe you are a racist, and I agree with you when you commit yourself to the importance of finding common ground, but it was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two US senators who built their careers on the segregation of race in this country. And it was not only that, but you also worked with them to oppose bussing. There was a little girl in California who belonged to the second class to integrate her public schools, and she was bussed to school every day. And that little girl was me. So I will tell you that on this subject it cannot be on intellectual debate among Democrats. We have to take it seriously."

She took him to task that day. We need leaders who speak truth about even within their own party rather than assuming that only “the other side” is racist.

Biden chose her not in spite of this but perhaps because of it. That shows growth, openness, and willingness to acknowledge wrongdoing.

It’s been remarkable watching them work together these four years.

I can’t wait to experience what comes next.

Onward, Democracy Defenders!