Centre County women celebrate Harris, recognize work needed for ‘seats at the table at every level’
Centre County women and advocates had reason to celebrate Wednesday when Kamala Harris made history by being sworn in as vice president, but say the moment is just one step in moving forward as a country.
Harris is the first woman, the first Black person and the first South Asian-American to serve as United States vice president. She was sworn in at the U.S. Capitol, just two weeks after a deadly mob attempted to undo the results that elected Harris and President Joe Biden to office.
Though Wednesday was a celebratory occasion, State College NAACP President Lorraine Jones said the Jan. 6 riot and events leading up to the insurrection cannot be forgotten.
“We want to be hopeful that the new administration represents the interest of the people that put them in power. We cannot talk about the joy of Vice President Harris without putting it into the context of the insurrection that occurred just two weeks ago,” Jones said. “We still have more rivers to cross.”
In the aftermath of the insurrection, communities have witnessed acts of hate, but leaders have come together to push back against violence, harmful rhetoric and hold people accountable for their actions. Centre County advocates know it will take time to repair damage caused by years of misinformation, but they are eager for Harris to serve as a role model for women and minorities of all ages.
The daughter of a Jamaican father and Indian mother, Harris was the first Black woman to serve as California’s attorney general. When she was elected to the Senate in 2016, she became the second Black woman in the chamber’s history. In November, alongside President Joe Biden, Harris reflected on the generations of women of all races who helped pave the way for her career.
“While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last,” she said. “Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.”
Black women are too often overlooked, but they often prove to be the “backbone of our democracy,” Harris added.
The American Association of University Women of State College — a nonprofit committed to empowering women and girls — offered congratulations to Harris. In a joint statement, co-presidents Sally Kalin and Cindy Hall said Harris has “forged a path that will inspire women of all political stripes” to guide the nation’s future.
“For generations of girls, she will serve as an acknowledgment that leadership at the highest levels is achievable,” they said.
AAUW State College Public Policy co-chair Mary Dupuis said it is a “true delight” to see a woman being inaugurated as vice president for the first time, adding that Harris being a woman of color is “simply the icing on the cake.” AAUW State College Diversity and Inclusion Chair Jordan Glover said the election of Harris is arguably the most important advancement for women in years.
She added that it is a “huge step” toward breaking the highest glass ceiling — the presidency — and achieving equity for women.
“For young women, women of color and anyone who sees (themselves) in the new vice president, she represents a beacon of hope and a start of a new chapter in our country’s history,” Glover said.
Data compiled by RepresentWomen, a nonpartisan organization, show that women make up 51% of the country’s population but are the minority in political leadership. Women account for 24% of the Senate, 27% of the House and 30% of statewide elected executives; statistics for women of color are even lower.
The Centre Women’s Leadership Coalition, a branch of the Community Diversity Group, believes Harris’s election proves that strides for diversity can be made at every level of government, founder Charima Young and chair Laura Leites said.
“Diverse representation matters to ensure we are developing policies and laws that benefit all groups of people,” they wrote in a joint statement. “The Coalition’s mission is to ensure that happens at the local level.”
With an upcoming panel on representation in local government, the Coalition plans to continue supporting and encouraging women and people of color to explore options that were once closed to them.
“Seeing people who represent diverse identities inspires others to blaze trails into positions of influence,” they said. “The Centre Women’s Leadership Coalition is doing our part to make certain women and people of color will continue to have seats at the table at every level.”
For more information on the Centre Women’s Leadership Coalition, email centrewomenlead@gmail.com.
This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 1:18 PM.
