Kamala Harris is the first Black woman and the first Asian American vice president-elect of the United States of America. She was the first female district attorney of San Francisco, the first female attorney general of California, the first Indian American in the US Senate.
During both her time as attorney general and Senator in California, she advocated for securing rights and protections for DREAMERs, has challenged rampant racism head-on, worked to safeguard a woman’s right to choose, and so much more.
As a woman who makes history as the first woman to become vice president, we compiled a list of 5 life-changing advice from Kamala Harris.
On Breaking Barriers
“My mother would look at me and she’d say, ‘Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last,'” Harris said during a lecture at Spelman College, recalling the motto that’s guided her life. “That’s why breaking those barriers is worth it. As much as anything else, it is also to create that path for those who will come after us.”
On Her Parents’ Influence
“My parents would bring me to protests strapped tightly in my stroller, and my mother, Shyamala, raised my sister, Maya, and me to believe that it was up to us and every generation of Americans to keep on marching,” Harris said during her first campaign appearance as the Democratic nominee for vice president. “She’d tell us ‘Don’t sit around and complain about things; do something.’ So I did something. I devoted my life to making real the words carved in the United States Supreme Court: Equal justice under law.”
On Ambition
“There will be people who say to you, ‘You are out of your lane,'” Harris said during the 2020 Black Girls Lead conference. “They are burdened by only having the capacity to see what has always been instead of what can be. But don’t you let that burden you.”
On Speaking Up
“What I want young women and girls to know is: You are powerful and your voice matters,” Harris told Marie Claire. “You’re going to walk into many rooms in your life and career where you may be the only one who looks like you or who has had the experiences you’ve had. But you remember that when you are in those rooms, you are not alone. We are all in that room with you applauding you on. Cheering your voice. And just so proud of you. So you use that voice and be strong.”
On uplifting and empowering women
Here’s the truth people need to understand: To tackle the challenges of the twenty-first century, we must empower women and families. If we do not lift up women and families, everyone will fall short.
We hope that this advice will propel you to become the best version of yourself and motivate you to become unapologetically ambitious.
Source: Oprah Magazine
