In America’s 235-year history, only three Black women have served as senators in Congress. The first was Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois; the second, Kamala Harris, was elected two decades later in California, following in the footsteps of Braun’s leadership. Much like her predecessor, her tenure was defined by efforts to condemn abortion bans, increase access to healthcare and promote safer gun laws.
Now that Harris is on a national stage as a presidential candidate, Black women in Congress have shared that this type of advocacy is critical for future generations and their inalienable rights.
“Vice President Harris has consistently demonstrated powerful leadership,” Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH-3) told the AmNews. “As a Senator, she tackled the maternal health crisis, expanded Medicaid coverage during the pandemic, and eliminated out-of-pocket healthcare costs for those in need. She also led efforts in tech and environmental justice, advocating for net neutrality, data privacy, and protections for communities most impacted by climate change.”
She spoke about the Vice President’s background as an attorney general and prosecutor in the Alameda and San Francisco District Attorney Offices respectively.
“Harris’s legal acumen was invaluable in crafting police reform legislation after George Floyd’s death and holding powerful figures accountable on the Senate Judiciary Committee, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on election interference and Supreme Court nominees,” Beatty said.
She credited Harris with her approach to the nation’s influx of immigration, long an issue dividing both sides of the aisle.
“Her Central America Forward initiative, which secured billions to address the root causes of southern border migration, and her engagement with over 150 world leaders, reflect her strategic vision and respect on the global stage,” Beatty said. “Vice President Harris’s relentless pursuit of justice, equity, and progress continues to shape the future of our nation, solidifying her as a formidable force in American governance.”
Harris’s opponent, former president Donald Trump, has been claiming cities like New York are overflowing with newcomers who are causing crime. He added that the Vice President is “incompetent” at a recent press conference, doubling down on the insults.
Despite this, Black women in Congress who have worked with Harris are behind her full force.
“Often, Vice President Harris cast the deciding votes on key legislation herself, like the Inflation Reduction Act, or for many of our groundbreaking nominees for judgeships or department heads,” Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC-12) told the AmNews. Adams is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Harris’s sorority. “But her greatest achievement will be unlocking the potential of millions of young girls, especially Black girls and others of color across the country, who will look at themselves in the mirror and know that anything is possible for them, because of her.”
The support stems from a clear desire to impact marginalized communities through representation but also expand access to the American Dream. An unofficial Harris campaign slogan is “We are not going back.”
That affirmation is rooted in a refusal to return to an era where equal treatment and women’s rights had not yet been fulfilled under the law.
California leaders like Maxine Waters (D-CA-43) have said Harris’s presidential bid has uncovered an “opportunity for transformation,” bringing a sense of relief to the American people. Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-CA) who was appointed to the Vice President’s former delegation, added that Harris has been “consistent in her values” and envisions a presidency where she will “put the people first,” she said in an interview with The Hill.
Statistics show voters agree. A new New York Times/Siena College poll shows Harris leading Trump in key states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin with endorsements from respected female political icons like Hilary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and more.
“Vice President Harris is a friend and fearless leader who has blazed trails, representing many firsts, but in her words, ‘certainly not the last.’ I’ve had the great fortune of seeing the brilliance, effectiveness, and compassion of Kamala Harris firsthand as we entered Congress together in 2017, then as one of four members of Joe Biden’s vice president selection committee, and now as a co-chair of the Harris-Walz campaign,” senatorial candidate Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE-At-Large) said.
“I look forward to partnering with her administration in moving our country forward and ensuring we defeat the extreme Trump-Vance Project 2025 agenda. I’m going to do all I can to elect her to the White House because with Kamala Harris at the helm, we are not going back.”