Warriors Amongst Women

From Top left: Mary McLeod Bethune, Susan B. Anthony, Simone de Beauvoir, Angela Davis , Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Kamala Harris.

Women have been fighting for the same rights as men for centuries. Brave and fearless leaders like Susan B. Anthony, Mary McLeod Bethune, Simone de Beauvoir, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Angela Davis passionately fought for women's rights and helped shape the movement for gender equality. 

Susan B. Anthony played a crucial role in the women’s suffrage movement. In 1878, she along with her co-workers presented an amendment to Congress that would give women the right to vote. In 1920, the California representative, Sen. Aaron A. Sargent introduced the bill and it was certified as the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. 

Unfortunately for Black women, the 19th Amendment didn’t necessarily mean they would be able to cast a ballet. It wasn’t until Mary McLeod Bethune was able to influence other women to exercise their rights. She managed to raise enough money for 100 voters to pay the poll tax in Daytona, Florida and taught women how to pass their literacy tests. Not even facing off with the Ku Klux Klan could keep Bethune from voting.

Simone de Beauvoir was an outspoken political activist, writer, and social theorist. In 1949 de Beauvoir wrote an ahead-of-its-time book entitled The Second Sex, which is considered the catalyst for modern feminism. This instrumental analysis discusses patriarchy and the social constructs women faced. The book was banned by The Vatican and even considered "pornography" by some. The Second Sex was a fearless start to the fight for feminism.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a lifelong advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and equality for all. She was the first Jewish woman and the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court. She dedicated her career to ensuring that marginalized groups received justice, and was well known for tactfully dissenting in court.

Political activist and trailblazing voice for black women, Angela Davis, played a key role in the Black Power Movement. And though some of her more radical positions and part in political protests have been considered controversial, she has been relentlessly fighting for women’s rights for over 60 years. At the Women’s March on Washington in 2017 Davis served as an honorary co-chair.

Kamala Harris has rightfully gained a spot alongside these remarkable women. She is the first woman in 244 years of U.S politics to serve as vice president. But Kamala is no stranger to breaking barriers. Before being sworn into office, she was one of 10 Black lawmakers and only the second Black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate. Prior to joining the Upper Chamber of Congress, the native Californian was the first woman and person of color to become district attorney of San Francisco and, later, the attorney general of the state. 

Photo by Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group

Kamala was born and raised in Oakland with her immigrant parents, Shyamala Gopalan, and Donald Harris, and her sister Maya Harris. Her mother came to the United States from India to get her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. She later went on to become a renowned breast cancer researcher before passing away in 2009. Kamala’s father was born in Jamaica but immigrated to America to earn his graduate degree, and eventually became a Professor of Economics at Stanford University. Maya is not only a lawyer, public policy advocate, and writer. She also served as chairwoman of her big sister’s campaign. 

Both Shyamala and Donald were actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement and passionately fought against inequality and discrimination. So the sisters learned early on in life that the road to racial justice was long. Their parents' unique heritage and political views shaped both women into the incredible and powerful people they are today. In her memoir, The Truths We Hold, Kamala wrote of her memories, the chants, shouts, and “sea of legs moving about” at the protests she attended as a young girl. 

Kamala’s blended family is also unconventional. Her husband, Doug Emhoff, is now the country’s first “second gentleman”. Emhoff is Jewish and has children from a previous marriage. He was a close confidante and active participant in the Biden campaign. He held fundraisers and consistently appeared as a supportive figure for his wife. Kamala’s stepchildren, Cole and Ella Emhoff call her ‘“Momala” because the title “stepmom” just didn’t fit their family. The term “Momala” trended on Twitter during the Democratic National Convention in August, when Ella stated that her “Momala” was a pillar that held their big blended family together.

 "I've had a lot of titles over my career, but 'Momala' will always be the one that means the most."

As a public mother figure, Kamala is directly contradicting the negative stereotypes associated with Black motherhood. Patricia Hill Collins, a distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park, explained that Black women have been portrayed as super-strong Black mothers who raise wayward children. Historically, Black women have been highly oppressed due to their gender. And as a result, they feel entitled to defeminize their daughters. Black mothers are considered defiant for teaching their daughters how to fit into the sexual politics of Black womanhood. 

The professor stated, “By learning the politics of Black womanhood, future Black mothers are learning to prevent sexual assault, wage, and occupation discrimination. White hegemonic society disapproves of this motherhood because it brings threat to their power.”

Stereotypes about Black women are deeply rooted in American history, dating back to enslavement. These stereotypes formed as a way of justifying the horrific treatment of Black women. Black women were abused and forced to do unpaid labor, while white women were prohibited from working. Stereotypes that evolved during this time included that Black women lacked femininity and were overbearing, so they were undeserving of love. They were viewed as creatures with little intelligence, who needed to be tamed and controlled by superior whites. Black women’s sexuality was viewed as hyper or animalistic, so it was their fault when white men sexually violated them. Over two centuries later Black women continue to endure racism, sexual harassment and assault, and nasty stereotypes. 

Today there is a Black woman in one of the highest-ranking positions in our nation. She has centered her public image around her heritage and family and therefore has the perfect platform to show the country and the rest of the world that these stereotypes are simply untrue. 

During her victory speech in November, Kamala spoke of her mother and the generations of women of all races who bravely fought for this moment. “While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last, because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities”, said the Vice President. 

Women like Susan B. Anthony, Mary Mcleod Bethune, Barbara Jordan, Simone de Beauvoir, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Barbra Jordan and now Kamala Harris, have relentlessly broken social and political barriers. Kamala Harris is one of the boldest, fiercest, fearless leaders in American history. Like these women before her, she is truly a warrior amongst women.

Image credits from top left: Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, NMAH, Smithsonian Institution , MPI/Stringer/Getty Images, picture-alliance / obs, Literary Hub, the Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States, Courtesy of Kamala Harris for Senate.