After Trump’s Long Night, Kamala Ushers In a Joyous Morning
As I watched Vice President-elect Kamala Harris step onto the brightly lit stage, I could only imagine how my mother’s sister would have met this moment. Aunt Gerry lived a life with few aspirations and tonight, as the night fell on Wilmington, Harris spoke to all of them. Her brief yet joyful remarks answered our collective call, including women like Geraldine Robinson Ross, who all too often toil in the shadows to eke out a living for their families. They are women who navigate the confines of gender inequity to pave a better way for themselves, their families and their communities.
A former San Francisco district attorney and Howard University alum, Harris was the first Black woman to serve as California attorney general. In 2016, she became only the second woman of African descent elected to the U.S. Senate. And on Saturday night, as she readies herself to take her place as the chief deputy to the next leader of the free world, Harris embraced her role as a model for women and girls around the globe.
My only regret is that now, lulled by pain medications and sedatives in a hospice bed, Aunt Gerry is unable to witness these moments. Nearing death’s door, she was too sick to cast a ballot. Be it hours or days, my 87-year-old aunt will pass on. The road has been long, but her going is as predictable as the morning sun.