Congratulations are in order for the newest Vice President of the United States – Kamala Devi Harris.
Vice President Harris has made history that should be celebrated and must not be ignored.
This past Wednesday, January 20, 2021, VP Harris was sworn in as the 49th Vice President, along with President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., who was also sworn in as the 46th President of the United States.
Prior to Vice President Harris, no woman had ever held this position.
Vice President Harris is the first Black person and the first South Asian person to serve in this prestigious role. She is also the first graduate of a Historically Black College & University (HBCU) and the first member of one of the Divine Nine organizations to hold this position. VP Harris is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., which is a part of the Divine Nine who helped impact the election in a major way.
Two days prior to being sworn in as Vice President, then-Senator Harris resigned her Senate seat on January 18th, as is customary.
Vice President Harris is more than qualified to hold this position. As it relates to succession, she is next in line to serve in the role of President, should something ever happen to President Biden.
After earning an undergraduate degree from Howard University and a law degree from the University of California, Hastings, Vice President Harris began a career in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. She went on to become the District Attorney of the City and County of San Francisco in 2013 and in her most recent role, served as the second Black woman and first South Asian-American senator in history to represent the state of California as U.S. senator since 2017.
It is fitting that Vice President Harris made history just two days after the nation celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ironically, it was literally almost two years to the date of her swearing in as Vice President this past Wednesday that she announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President on January 21, 2019 – the official Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday that year. Then-Senator Harris was the third Black woman to seek the Democratic nomination, following attempts by Shirley Chisholm and Carol Mosley Braun. She eventually suspended her race due to a lack of resources and went on to be selected by President Biden to serve as her right-hand woman.
So, after one of the most grueling and controversial presidential elections in U.S. history, the country has a history-making and extremely qualified Vice President, who will undoubtedly open up doors for more women and more people of color as she fulfills her role.
On behalf of the Forward Times, we would like to congratulate Vice President Kamala Harris on her historic accomplishment and we are asking all of our readers to check out the various video tributes that we have planned to honor President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris that will be uploaded on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Congratulations Madam Vice President!
