Thumbs up: Nomination signals a turning point in history
By Toni Van Pelt
The nomination of Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate for vice president is more than a political landmark. As the first Black and Asian woman to be nominated by a major party as a national candidate, she has made history. But she has also affirmed something that women have long known as a source of strength and inspiration. We are not alone. We are never alone.
Harris has often spoken of the late Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress who, in 1972, became the first Black major-party candidate to run for president.
“I stand, as so many of us do, on her shoulders,” Harris told The Grio. “Because she understood that you just march to that podium, and you claim that podium as yours, you don’t ask anybody permission.
“And she was supported in that venture, and that’s really important to know and to hold on to. When each of us takes that step that requires courage, there will be a community there to support us, to receive us, and to applaud us when we make that step.