The nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris for U.S. president at this year’s Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago gave female leaders from across the country the opportunity to highlight a range of issues, from reproductive rights to fundraising for their fellow candidates.
The historic feat of having a black woman of South Asian descent lead the DNC nomination has already mobilized female leaders, organizers and younger voters.
Many attribute the breaking of the glass ceiling to Shirley Chisholm, who became the first black woman elected to Congress and ran a serious presidential campaign, and to Fannie Lou Hamer, vice chair of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), who rocked the DNC in 1964 with her testimony about the violence she faced when she tried to register to vote as a black citizen.
“Shirley Chisholm was because Fannie Lou Hamer was. We are – we all are – because of Shirley Chisholm – because she was,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee (Calif.), Chisholm’s protégé, speaking at the DNC’s women’s caucus on August 22. “Chisholm was a catalyst for change. She was incorruptible and uncontrolled, and she said, ‘The next time a woman, of any color or person of color, of any gender, wants to be president, the road should be a little smoother because I helped smooth it.'”
Harris, New York State Attorney General Letitia James and others focused on the state of reproductive justice in the country.
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“This is what is happening in our country because of Donald Trump,” Harris said in her speech to the DNC on August 23. “And understand: He is not done yet. As part of his agenda, he and his allies would restrict access to contraception, ban medication abortions and enact a nationwide abortion ban with or without Congress. And here’s the thing: He plans to appoint a national anti-abortion coordinator and force states to report women’s miscarriages and abortions. Simply put, they are crazy. And you have to ask: Why exactly do they not trust women?”
Harris vowed that if Congress passed legislation restoring reproductive freedom and she were elected president, she would proudly sign it.
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which would enshrine gender equality and reproductive freedoms in the U.S. Constitution and would be the 28th Amendment, was blocked last year on technicalities despite major efforts to ratify it in recent years. In New York, the state constitution protects the ERA against people based on “race, color, creed, or religion” and provides protection against discrimination based on “gender identity, sexual orientation, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive health care.”
Earlier this year, the amendment to the state constitution was briefly stalled as Republicans tried to keep the bill off the ballot. Senator Lea Webb, the first Black Democrat and woman of color to represent her Ithaca-Binghamton district, took the first steps toward codifying the ERA, reproductive rights and maternity care back in 2019.
“I think mentioning that people who have been historically marginalized will be recognized through more equitable policies will make some people feel like something is being taken away from them in some respect, but that’s not the case,” Webb said. “People’s perspectives and views, whether it’s based on political ideology or religion, also play a role. But at the end of the day, when you look at Harris’ presidential campaign and all the women running for office at every level, it’s women — who are most impacted by these issues — who are using their power and our communities are benefiting from it.”
Webb confirmed that the ERA will appear on the back of ballots for New Yorkers to vote on in November.
Many of the current issues did not necessarily revolve around women and gender politics, but the DNC’s female leaders were nonetheless in turmoil.
Governor Kathy Hochul, the first female governor of New York State, spoke several times to her own delegation about strengthening the local Democratic Party in contested congressional districts – a recurring theme of many speakers from New York State, even though it is considered a “blue” state.
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“We started last year by providing money and resources and helping our local committees win elections that we had no chance of ever winning. City councils, DA (district attorney general) elections, county assemblies,” Hochul said at the delegate breakfast. “We did it because we started working together. I wanted to build that infrastructure, that platform – that foundation that we can build on until 2024.”
Hochul called for efforts to ensure that House Minority Leader and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries becomes Speaker of the House and that other prominent New York elected officials, such as U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, are re-elected. The idea is to push for a Democratic majority in Congress so that Harris will have an easier time pushing through her agenda during her term if she is elected.
In the meantime, many organizers have pointed to existing federal programs that have had tremendous success in their communities.
Cynthia Wallace, executive director of the New Rural Project in North Carolina and organizer of initiatives to strengthen civic engagement among people of color in rural areas, appreciates the work Harris has already done as vice president and hopes to see these issues brought back to the forefront, particularly the Biden-Harris Affordable Connectivity Program, which expanded broadband access, as well as climate initiatives.
“It gave North Carolina broadband access. It changed a lot of people’s lives. Broadband means health care and the ability to compete for jobs,” Wallace said. “Unfortunately, Congress didn’t want to extend it. A lot of people lost that vital access. If you live in a rural area where traffic is a problem and you have access to the (digital) world, it can change people’s economic lives.”
Wallace’s colleague from North Carolina, Dr. Aimy SL Steele, CEO of the New North Carolina Project, added that she is particularly excited about the Biden-Harris infrastructure bill and the funding it includes for efficient energy programs for communities of color.
“When we knocked on doors – nearly 48,000 in 2022 – we heard that people cared about their energy bills being higher than their mortgage and their rent,” Steele said. “Now we can install HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems in people’s homes for free and also do other work to weatherize their homes. And all of that was part of the funding in the bipartisan infrastructure bill that was granted to the state of North Carolina.”
