Former Vice President Kamala Harris was the first woman and person of color to serve as vice president, and she has served as a senator from California and the state’s attorney general. Beyond her seat in government, Harris is a powerful voice in the African American community and for women. The gravity of her position in power should not be lost on American citizens, as she represents three communities that are all too often left in the dark. Harris has proved to be a vital voice in human rights, policy on the environment, and much more. Harris was chosen as Vice President to former VP and Democratic Nominee Joe Biden. Together they won the election of 2020, beating incumbent President Donald J. Trump. After four years, President Biden stepped down from the presidential race thus allowing Harris to take his place as Democratic Nominee. Returning again to the race in 2024, President Trump won the election. Both elections have been very important to the trajectory of American politics and policies. Fear on both sides of the ballot continues to haunt government action as the ground starts to settle.
In her homecoming from the grounds of the United States Naval Observatory to the golden state of California, Harris has been honored by the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). The association chose the former vice president to receive the Chairman’s Prize: an honorary award to people who rise in public service and utilize their platform to promote change in racial equality and justice. Previous nominations have been awarded to Former President Barack Obama, the late Representative John Lewis, and poet and activist Amanda Gorman. Receiving this award was Harris’s first major public appearance since losing the election, and she used the platform to give the United States a message. In concern over the state of the democracy, Harris declared: “…we know exactly what to do, because we have done it before. And we will do it again. We use our power. We organize, mobilize. We educate. We advocate. Our power has never come from having an easy path.” (VOA). Kamala Harris is a bright bacon in the realm of civil rights, and her acceptance of the Chairman’s Prize demonstrates her continual drive for change.
