In two months, millions like Dr. Elizabeth Jackson will watch Sen. Kamala Harris – the daughter of Indian and Afro-Jamaican immigrants – stand in front of the U.S. capitol to be sworn into office as vice-president.
Jackson, civic engagement and political action chair with the local NAACP, cried as she and her 10-year-old granddaughter watched Harris and President-Elect Joe Biden deliver their victory speeches late Saturday.
“I never thought I would see (the first) black president or (the first) black woman vice-president,” Jackson said referring to Harris and former president Barack Obama, the first black person to hold the commander-in-chief title.
Harris, a U.S. Senator and former prosecutor, shattered the “glass ceiling.” She is the first woman, first black person and first South Asian-American to be elected to the second-highest rank in the nation.
Millions – with some celebrants dancing in the streets – tuned in to their televisions as Biden and Harris spoke from a podium on a stage in Wilmington, Delaware.
While I may be the first, I won’t be the last. pic.twitter.com/R5CousWtdx
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 8, 2020
Harris quoted the late U.S. Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis.
“Democracy is not a state. It is an act,” Harris said, repeating a statement Lewis wrote down before he died of pancreatic cancer in July. “What (Lewis) meant was that America’s democracy is not guaranteed. It is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it.”
Jackson, 69, of Indian River County, said her granddaughter, Emily Miller, was amazed while watching the victory speeches.
Miller told Jackson, “I’m going to run for vice-president one day,” Jackson said. “She said, ‘We need Biden and Harris because they’re going to change the world for us.'”
Tony Brown, president of the local NAACP, said Harris’ victory will inspire young girls of color to “reach for the stars.” Brown said Harris being vice-president is a win not just for black Americans, but all Americans.
“We’ve always known that black women are the rock,” Brown said. “We will have an informed, intelligent, profound woman in the second seat.”
The Wait
Time seemed to be at a standstill from late Tuesday through Saturday before Biden was announced as the projected winner of the 2020 Presidential Election.
Americans from both political isles voiced frustration, nervousness and excitement as they waited to see who would win the election amidst a coronavirus pandemic and widespread job loss. Biden exceeded the 270 Electoral College votes needed to secure the president’s seat on Saturday.
President Donald Trump has not conceded and is waging several legal battles to contest the results.
Souls to the Polls
Jackson believes it’s important that black and brown people vote so they can be part of the decision-making process. Jackson noted issues directly impacting minorities, such as lack of access to healthcare, voter suppression, the criminal justice system and immigration laws.
The same issues can be seen in the Biden-Harris racial equity plan, which proponents say aims to uplift black and brown communities.
Jackson said the lingering disparities was why she decided to become an organizer for “Souls to the Polls,” an event where residents can get registered to vote. The local NAACP, along with Faith in Florida – a religious institution – held the events in October at the Victor Hart Sr. Community Enhancement Complex in Gifford.
“We knew we had to get our community out to vote,” Jackson said of the NAACP, which hosts educational forums. “We plan to continue to educate our community and get millennials involved.”
Black Greek Organizations
A number of Indian River County black residents are members black Greek fraternities and sororities – those groups are better known as the “Divine Nine.” The organizations are known for getting voters registered, charity drives, tutoring and other community work.
Harris was inducted into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority – one of the nine Greek letter organizations with roots in the Black community – while attending Howard University, a historically black university, also known as an HBCU. Alpha Kappa Alpha, founded in 1908 on the campus of Howard, is the oldest black sorority in the nation.
The sorority congratulated Harris in a Twitter post Saturday.
We call her sister, and now the nation calls her Madam Vice President!
Congratulations to America's first female, first Black, and first South Asian vice president-elect Kamala Harris. You represent the new face of political power and continue to be a barrier-breaker. #OurMadamVP pic.twitter.com/joIGK6LZoM— Alpha Kappa Alpha (@akasorority1908) November 7, 2020
“We call her sister, and now the nation calls her Madam Vice-President,” the sorority said in the post. “You represent the new face of political power and continue to be a barrier-breaker.”
Indian River County has its own local barrier-breaker – retired educator Kathryn Wilson. Wilson, also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, was the first black woman elementary school principal in the county, first black woman school board member and first black principal to open a new school.
Wilson said Harris’ win is an incredible feeling for black women and black girls.
“It makes me feel proud, not only because of her sorority but all of her accomplishments,” said Wilson, in her 70’s, of Vero Beach. “I’m so excited for her. I know Kamala is extremely prepared for the job.”
Kevin Browning, radio host of 104.5 The Flame and a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, said Harris’ win makes the “Divine Nine” Proud.
“I think humanity came out and spoke up,” Browning said.
Aundrea Perry, founder and program director for the Boys 2 Men 2 Greatness Mentoring Program, said Harris’ win is an awesome accomplishment.
“This moment in American history is indeed powerful, motivating and gives people of color great hope in the U.S.,” said Perry, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and graduate of Bethune- Cookman University, an HBCU. “Blacks have a vested interest in this country and a desire to see the hope that our ancestors could only dream of become a reality.”
‘HBCU’ Proud
HBCU’s emerged before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 during a time when blacks were not allowed to attend most colleges and universities in America. For HBCU alums, Harris’ win as vice-president is sentimental and groundbreaking.
Kelauni Cook, a 2010 Howard University graduate, said alums feel “pure pride.”
“Young black girls seeing Harris making decisions for the country will inspire them to get into politics,” said Cook, founder of Black Tech Nation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “As a black woman, I already knew our magic. I knew we could do it.”
We did it, @JoeBiden. pic.twitter.com/oCgeylsjB4
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 7, 2020
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