ELECTED TO THE SENATE.
NOW, SHE’LL BE THE FIRST TO BE
CALLED MADAME VICE PRESIDENT.
>> WHILE I MAY BE THE FIRST
WOMAN IN THIS OFFICE, I WILL NOT
BE THE LAST.
BECAUSE EVERY LITTLE GIRL
WATCHING TONIGHT SEES THAT THIS
IS A COUNTRY OF POSSIBILITIES.
>> Reporter: WITH HER HISTORIC
ACCEPTANCE SPEECH, KAMALA HARRIS
MADE CRYSTAL CLEAR TO THE NATION
EXACTLY WHO SHE WAS.
THE FIRST WOMAN, THE FIRST BLACK
WOMAN, AND THE FIRST WOMAN OF
INDIAN HERITAGE, TO BE ELECTED
VICE PRESIDENT.
>> BLACK WOMEN, ASIAN, WHITE,
LATINA, NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN,
WHO THROUGHOUT OUR NATION’S
HISTORY HAVE PAVED THE WAY FOR
THIS MOMENT TONIGHT.
>> Reporter: HARRIS, THE
DAUGHTER OF INDIAN AND JAMAICAN
IMMIGRANTS, RAISED WITH BOTH
CHRISTIAN AND HINDU PRACTICES,
EMBODIES AMERICA’S INCREASINGLY
DIVERSE DEMOGRAPHIC, AND WITH A
JEWISH HUSBAND AND TWO
STEPCHILDREN, HER MERE PRESENCE
ON THE NATIONAL STAGE MODELS SO
MUCH MORE THAN POLICY.
>> YOU USHERED IN A NEW DAY FOR
AMERICA.
>> I THINK IT MAKES POLITICS
MORE ACCESSIBLE TO SOME, BUT I
THINK IT ALSO MAKES HER MORE
ACCEPTANCE.
THESE ARE NOT HINDRANCES OR
THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO
DISTRACT HER.
THEY’RE ACTUALLY PART OF WHAT
MAKES HER A BETTER LEADER.
>> Reporter: AS FOR POLICY, THE
STAKES ARE HIGH.
MS. HARRIS ENTERS THE OFFICE
AMID A DAUNTING SET OF
CHALLENGES, CIVIL AND RACIAL
UNREST, A STRUGGLING ECONOMY,
AND A CRIPPLING PANDEMIC.
WORK STARTS AS SOON AS SHE’S
SWORN IN.
>> SHE’LL BE HEADING DOWN TO THE
SENATE, AND SHE WILL SWEAR IN
THREE NEW SENATORS.
SHE’S ALREADY GETTING TO WORK ON
DAY ONE.
>> Reporter: HARRIS HAS SAID SHE
PLANS TO WORK HAND-IN-HAND WITH
PRESIDENT BIDEN AND CONSULT ON
ALL DECISIONS WITH HIM AS A
PARTNER.
AND IN HER ROLE AS SENATE
TIE-BREAKER FOR THE DEMOCRATS,
SHE’LL BE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME
ON CAPITOL HILL.
>> YOU’LL ALSO SEE HER BRING
SOME OF HER PASSIONS TO THIS
WORK.
SHE HAS A HISTORY AS IT RELATES
TO BEING A LEADER IN THE CLIMATE
CRISIS, COMBATING THE CLIMATE
CRISIS.
>> Reporter: EVERY DAY SHE’S IN
OFFICE WILL BE HISTORIC, AND
HARRIS, A GRADUATE OF
HISTORICALLY BLACK HOWARD
UNIVERSITY, IS ACUTELY AWARE OF
HER PLACE IN HISTORY.
>> YOU ARE BIG.
YOU ARE STRONG.
YOU HAVE POWER.
>> Reporter: SHE HAS SPOKEN OF
BEING SINGULAR BUT NOT SOLITARY,
AND HAS CONSISTENTLY CHAMPIONED
A THEME OF BREAKING BARRIERS AND
COLLECTIVE ADVANCEMENT.
>> BREAKING A BARRIER MAY
SOMETIMES BE PAINFUL, BUT IT IS
SO WORTH IT.
>> TALK TO ME ABOUT THE POWER OF
REPRESENTATION.
>> THAT POWER OF REPRESENTATION
IS GOING TO BE IMMENSE WHEN YOU
THINK ABOUT ALL OF THE LITTLE
GIRLS AND ALL OF THE LITTLE BOYS
THAT ARE GROWING UP WATCHING
THIS, AND SEEING A WOMAN BE ABLE
TO DO SOMETHING THAT NO OTHER
WOMAN HAS BEEN ABLE TO DO
BEFORE.
>> GUYS, THERE’S A GROWING
MOVEMENT ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA,
CELEBRATING HARRIS’ HISTORIC
APPOINTMENT BY WEARING PEARLS.
HARRIS IS A GRADUATE OF HOWARD
UNIVERSITY AND A MEMBER OF THE
NATION’S OLDEST BLACK SORORITY.
THEIR MEMBERS ARE CALLED PEARLS.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF WOMEN
ARE PLANNING ON WEARING THEM
TODAY AS A HAT TIP TO THE FUTURE
MADAME VICE PRESIDENT.
FULL DISCLOSURE, MY SORORITY
SISTERS ARE GOING TO GET ME
TODAY BECAUSE I AM A THIRD
GENERATION.
HERE’S A PICTURE OF MY MOM AND
GRANDMOTHER.
EVERYBODY WAS TWEETING ME.
US NEWS GIRLS, WE WEAR RED,
WHITE, AND BLUE ON INAUGURATION
DAY.
I WILL PUT MY PEARLS ON LATER
THIS MORNING.
YES, IT IS, YOU KNOW, THERE
SHALL DISEASE ABE A LOT OF WORK
DONE, BUT WE WANT TO PRESS PAUSE
AND RECOGNIZE THAT SHE IS A
TRAILBLAZER.
>> DEFINITELY.
THIS IS A STORY THAT WOULD HAVE
GOTTEN TOP BILLING NORMALLY.
NOW, WE’RE LEARNING MORE ABOUT