Kamala Harris stands for a diverse, free, inclusive and equal America
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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. In the days after it became clear that US Vice- President Kamala Harris would be the Democratic nominee for president, an image of Inauguration Day began to circulate on social media: If elected, Harris would be sworn in as the nation’s first ‘Black woman president’ on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with the oath administered by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, ‘the first Black woman’ to serve at the Supreme Court.
That encapsulation of racial progress embellished some details (Chief Justice John Roberts would likely swear Harris in) and left out some possibilities. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries could become the first African-American House speaker, and two African-American women could serve in the US Senate simultaneously, something that has never happened. It is a vision of America that millions of voters have had on their minds for decades, working for—and against—its realization.
This election is a referendum on that struggle, on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. And to their credit, Democrats are staking their future on those ideals and aspirations. Two stark versions of America have been on vivid display.
One, last Sunday at New York’s Madison Square Garden, where echoes of nativism rang out loud. Crowds cheered for bottom-of-the-barrel bigotry, images of watermelon-loving African-Americans, rock-throwing Muslims and penny-pinching Jews. Puerto Rico, home to American citizens, was trashed as garbage, and Mexican men were labelled wanton baby-makers.
It was Trumpism distilled. It was shocking because while America had birthed many of these stereotypes, there has been an earnest, if imperfect, attempt to banish them. Not so in Trump’s version of America.
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