Senator Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s chosen running mate for the 2020 primary election, was an exciting choice for some but a disappointing choice for others. The controversy around her previous experience in government discouraged many people from supporting her initial presidential campaign. Now that Harris has been invited back into the running as vice president, it’s time to consider what this means for her potential presidency.
Pros
America has only ever seen black women run for office but not actually get into office. Harris would make history not only as the first black female VP but also president if Biden were to lose his position. This opens doors and increases encouragement for women of color to continue pursuing elected positions.
Harris’ position as District Attorney of San Francisco proved to be dedicated toward helping undocumented immigrants become citizens. Given the current 400 thousand immigrants being held in concentration camps at the Mexican border, Harris would be determined to undo the damage the current administration has done to immigrant children and families.
Harris worked on the Back on Track initiative to give nonviolent offenders the opportunity to get an education, maintain employment and take care of themselves and their families. Along with this Kamala advocated for children education to keep at-risk youth from leading lives of crime though an additional program. Given the current prison population and disproportionate incarceration of impoverished people of color, Harris could continue working to decrease the truancy rates for youth.
As Attorney General of California, Kamala Harris investigated the issue of implicit bias within police departments, a problem fatal to many African Americans. She continuously shed light on the misuse of force and the patterns of people getting shot as a result of police misconduct. As this issue remains prevalent today and moved into the public eye after the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, Harris could push implicit bias training to be required for police departments nationwide and mandate penalties for unkempt officers.
Cons
If Biden loses his position as president, Kamala Harris will take over as president by technicality. Ideally, a woman president should run her race and be elected to the seat on her own. Though it would still serve as a win for women, we are qualified and capable of being elected to presidency without a man as the stepping stool.
Additionally, Harris pardoned those who were charged as felons for petty crimes, she also made excuses to keep wrongfully imprisoned individuals behind bars. While advocating for children’s education and fighting truancy, she treated the parents of those very children as criminals.
Her fight for reform only took flight when it was convenient, and she fled from the opportunities to truly bring justice to those who needed it.
Will her actions contradict her words again in office?
Featured Image by Gage Skidmore on Flickr.com
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