Kamala Harris: A Saving Grace?

Kelsey Kramer/The Register

When Joe Biden announced that he was committed to picking a woman as his VP, I was cautiously optimistic. After spending months working on the Warren campaign, I had seen six women run under Democratic ticket and was disappointed to be only left between two men. I along with many other American women felt like Biden was just choosing a female VP to save face. It felt like women in politics were again forced to take a back seat when it came to becoming president. Yet, then came our somewhat of saving grace: Kamala Harris. 

The timing of Biden’s pick is unique. Besides a global pandemic, our country is going through another racial reckoning after the death of George Floyd. Which puts Kamala Harris in a sticky-situation. As former attorney general of California, Harris blocked gender-affirming medical care for trans women in prisons. Also, as attorney general, she opposed legislation that would require her office to independently investigate police shootings. These issues and many more are partially why Kamala Harris’s time as a prosecutor could be off-putting for many Democrats. Moreover, it may have not been best for John Biden to pick a prosecutor, at a time when many are calling for the abolition of the criminal justice system that Harris helped to uphold. 

Biden’s pick for VP also has another interesting twist. Harris openly called out Biden and other politicians for building their “reputation and career on the segregation of race” in America. Yet, Biden still later picked her to be his Vice President. To many, this seemed like a far cry from Trump’s “you-disagree-with me- you are-fired logic.” By Biden choosing Harris as his VP, a woman who has openly criticized him in the past, he is showing that he values the opinions of others who disagree with him. Making him, compared to Trump, a much bigger person. 

Kamala Harris being on the democratic ticket as Biden’s running mate is nonetheless historic. If elected, she would be the first woman, and person of color to be the Vice President of America. As people, we should be able to acknowledge the historical significance of Harris as they VP pick while also realizing that, as attorney general, she supported policies that disproportionately harmed Black and Brown people in America.