JUDY WOODRUFF: It was exactly one year ago today that California Senator Kamala
Harris announced she was dropping out of the presidential race, citing a lack of funds.
Now the vice president-elect is poised to break barriers on
multiple fronts, inspiring many along the way.
Yamiche Alcindor begins our coverage.
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: In her victory speech,
vice president-elect Kamala Harris spoke to the historic nature of her election.
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), Vice President-Elect: While I may be the first woman in this office,
I will not be the last.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS:
Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Harris represents many firsts, the first woman, first Black American and first
South Asian American vice president-elect. She's the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India.
She proudly emphasized her roots with fellow Indian-American Mindy Kaling,
cooking dosa during her own presidential primary campaign. She is also a graduate
of Howard University and is a member of the nation's first Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha.
Today, she often celebrates her connection to historically Black colleges and universities,
sometimes dancing with marching bands on the trail. It's a milestone that inspired many.
We invited viewers to weigh in on what her historic inauguration will mean to them.
Hundreds of people responded.
SHEETAL RANDEV, Voter: I was from the U.K.
I was only able to vote in this election as I became a citizen last year.
So, to be a part of something, and then to see myself up there, it's just amazing.
DESTINEE MENTOR-RICHARDS: I feel like I can breathe because I feel like I can be hopeful
for the first time in a very long time. I'm proud to see
someone who represents so many different facets of who we are sitting at the table.
AARTI MEHTA: For the Indian community, it's very exciting that we feel more accepted as immigrants.
CATLIN GOODROW: I think we have an opportunity on so many issues, civil rights, climate,
the coronavirus, the economy, to actually help people.
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: And across social media,
young girls dressed up as Harris, including her signature Converse sneakers.
Tonya Vivian's daughter, Ophelia (sic), was one of them.
TONYA VIVIAN, Mother: She's 2 years old. She has no idea what's going on,
and I can't wait to share with her as she gets older.
This definitely resonates differently. As a Black woman, it really means everything. It
means that anything is truly possible for her. And I just am excited about the future. And
that's just something I haven't felt in so long.
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Even before this moment, Harris had broken many barriers. She was
the first Black woman to serve as attorney general of California.
She was only the second Black woman to serve as a United States senator.
The first was Carol Moseley Braun, who told me it's hard to express
just how excited she is about Harris' election.
FMR. SEN. CAROL MOSELEY BRAUN (D-IL): Frankly, for me, on a personal level, it really is a matter
of coming to grips with the fact that I really was more of a role model and not
an object lesson, because, I mean, right now, there are more women in the United
States Congress than ever before. And I think that's just going to continue.
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Yet, even in her excitement, Moseley Braun added that
Harris should ready herself for an onslaught of criticism and perhaps unfair expectations.
FMR. SEN. CAROL MOSELEY BRAUN: We will not have really arrived until Kamala Harris gets treated
like any other vice president in history, like Dan Quayle, Mike Pence, you name it,
and not have to rise to the occasion of being something unusual.
And we haven't gotten there yet, but we will. And
she's setting the setting the table to make it happen.
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: In Harris' August speech, after her selection was announced,
she paid tribute to the women who came before her.
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS: These women inspired us to pick up the torch
and fight on, women like Mary Church Terrell, Mary McLeod Bethune, Fannie Lou Hamer,
and Diane Nash, Constance Baker Motley, and the great Shirley Chisholm.
We're not often taught their stories, but, as Americans, we all stand on their shoulders.
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Democrats in Philadelphia celebrated the win. But representation
isn't all that matters, says local organizer Candace McKinley.
CANDACE MCKINLEY, Philadelphia Community Bail Fund: It's nice to have people that look
like me. You might have family members that look like mine, but if they're not actually
fighting for my community and for policies
and laws that will actually help my community, then it's -- that doesn't mean much to me.
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Eddie Glaude Jr. is the James S. McDonnell distinguished university
professor of African American studies at Princeton University.
EDDIE GLAUDE JR., Professor of Religion and African American Studies, Princeton University: I
think Black women need to claim this victory
and, in doing so, insist on having and wielding actual power.
And so this representational moment is important. The symbolic significance of a Black woman being
the vice president of the United States is important, but what we need in our communities
right now are policies that will address the suffering that engulfs our communities today.
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: That's something Harris has promised to do. And,
as she looks toward the inauguration, she's already acknowledging the tough road ahead.
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS: As I said the night we won this election, now
is when the real work begins, the necessary work, the good work of getting this virus under control,
saving lives, and beating this pandemic,
and opening our economy responsibly, while rebuilding it so that it works for working people.
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: It's a tough road being paved for the first time.