Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), named by former VP Joe Biden to be his vice presidential running mate, brings with her a sense of compassion, of what's right and wrong, and a determination to set things right after the disastrous Trump administration.
Words that she uttered last summer when she visited Big Mike's Soul Food Restaurant in Myrtle Beach,SC, are as true today, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and racial divisions that have been worsened by Donald Trump, as they were then:
“It’s about having a vision where we can be unburdened by where we have been," she said. Let’s understand what’s happening right now and know that when we show up, it can change.
“We love our country and are prepared to fight for it,” declared Harris. “This is not only about defeating this guy who is in the White House, but fighting for a vision of America where everyone can see themselves.”
A vision where everyone can see themselves.
That is exactly what this country needs today, having been ripped apart by Trump's hateful rhetoric and his determination to set people against each other.
The naming of Harris by Biden says a lot about the former vice president. While many considered her to be the obvious choice after he announced that his running mate would be a woman, he took his time and carefully considered many other highly qualified candidates for perhaps the most important decision of his candidacy.
Moreover, he chose a former prosecutor who nearly prosecuted Biden during the Democratic debates when she excoriated him for his long-ago held position on busing. Some pundits thought that might disqualify her from being named.
But no, Biden demonstrated that, unlike Trump, he does not hold grudges and that he makes decisions based on what's best for the country -- not based on who may have been mean to him.
While Harris' selection is important politically, as it certainly will help solidify support from women and African Americans, it is even more important for what the future could bring. At 55, she will be serving with Biden, who would be 78 years old by Inauguration Day, and has described himself as a transition candidate.
So, it is entirely possible that she one day could be the President of the United States, the first African American woman, in fact, the first woman to do so.
Vice President Joe Biden has already made history with her selection. It is only the beginning of what is about to unfold.