For some, the senator’s being on the Democratic ticket is about more than just the vice presidency.
Joe Biden’s selection of Senator Kamala Harris to be his running mate is historic. She is the first Black woman and the first person of Indian descent to be on a major-party ticket and, should Biden win, stands that much closer to becoming the first female president in our nation’s history. It’s no surprise that many Americans are emotional about her being chosen. We asked readers what seeing Senator Harris on the Democratic ticket meant to them. “She looks like me!” and “It’s about time!” punctuated the most enthusiastic responses. Others talked about the importance of seeing a Black woman in high office after years of experiencing discrimination and racism themselves. A selection of their responses follows. They have been edited for length and clarity. Kamala Harris’s nomination is everything to me, a first-generation Indian-American working mother, fighting for equity and justice each day through education while raising my biracial Indian and Mexican-American sons. She represents my story — my past and my future. She is hope that one day my family and I will be fully visible and seen in our unique beauty. She gives me the courage to dream big! — Anita Thawani Bucio,39, Glenview, Ill. She doesn’t accept nonsense and is a total powerhouse. More important, she looks like me! I never thought I’d see the day when my next V. P. shared the same skin color, no-nonsense attitude, and even the same middle name. Here I am in the unrelenting chaos of 2020 finding hope and representation even in the darkest of times. I am so grateful to see this day and can’t wait to see us flood the polls in November! — Shakunthala Devi Shiwnath,29, Boston My feelings about Kamala Harris are mixed. It is difficult to reconcile her consistently progressive voting record in the Senate with her more problematic law enforcement record as attorney general of California. Human beings are complicated, and she seems to be a politician whose positions are more fluid. For today, however, I’m choosing to be proud of the historical significance of her nomination as a biracial Black, Asian woman. She is the face of the Democratic Party and representative of the changing face of this nation. — Sophia Kwong Myers,35, Dallas When you tell people your parents are immigrants, they make a lot of assumptions about you. It’s awkward, hurtful and perplexing. I’ve had close friends tell ethnic jokes in my presence and then say sheepishly, “But that’s not your family — you’re like totally American.
