Role of Women in Elections - "Celebrating Kamala Harris" by Kaylla A. Jackson

There is no question that 2020 has been a long decade. That is what this year has felt like. November is almost over and the election is finally over. People have been annoyed by the constant reminders to vote. They were all over Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Some of us unlucky people even got phone calls and text messages from strangers asking if we are planning to vote and if a candidate could count on our vote. The constant reminders could be a nuisance, but when you consider the journey to get to this point, voting and reminders to vote are a little less annoying. 

With everything that is happening, so much is getting lost and forgotten. The evolution of the roles of women in elections can become diminished. We all witnessed the first African-American and Asian-American woman to be elected vice president.  Whether you agree with her politics and history as a prosecutor or not, Kamala Harris’ accomplishment is a step in the right direction for women, especially women of color. 

For so long, the role of women in politics was to look pretty, smile, and let the men lead. There was a time when women could not vote in elections or voice their opinions. They could not ask questions and demand accountability from politicians. The first election was in 1778. A little over a century later, Victoria Woodhull became the first female presidential candidate. In 1916, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to Congress. In 1920 women were finally given the right to vote. In 1968, Shirley Chisolm became the first African-American woman elected to the United States Congress. Then, in 1972 she became the first major-party candidate for a presidential nomination. Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court in 1981. In 2016, Hilary Clinton became the woman to run for President of the United States after nomination by a major party.  Since then, so many women have been elected to political office and have run campaigns. Today, 127 women hold seats in the United States Congress, a feat that never would have been possible without the work of the women who came before them. 

We have come so far and we still have so far to go. It is sad, but beautiful that in 2020, concepts like “the first woman” are still necessary. It feels like as a society we should be past that sometimes. Women are a force for change and we more than deserve to be respected and valued in all the spaces that we occupy. So we should celebrate when “firsts” happen because it means that the next woman might accomplish that much more, and we should be mindful that first only means there are more to come. 

Women are powerful and we are going to continue to occupy spaces and accomplish great things. So, the next time you find yourself annoyed about a reminder to vote, remind yourself that in doing so, you are honoring the women who worked to make that possible. 

By Kaylla A. Jackson

References

Abrams, Z. (2020, March 10). Celebrating a win for equality— And fighting for more. http://www.apa.org/news/apa/2020/03/win-equality

Koren, M. (2019, July 11). Why Men Thought Women Weren't Made to Vote. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/07/womens-suffrage-nineteenth-amendment-pseudoscience/593710/. 

Image Citation:

Kamala Harris. By Benjamin Wallace-Wells. 29 Jan. 2019. Web. 2020.