Kamala Harris is a different face to the upcoming presidential race. After being endorsed into the presidential race by President Joe Biden, Harris is taking the opportunity to campaign and potentially become the first female person of color to be president of the United States.
Senior Ruchi Alavilli believes Harris has more progressive views in her campaign, which will be reflected in her presidency. She expressed that Harris will be breaking past stereotypes, leading to better representation in government.
“Her getting elected for president (would) show that it is possible because she would be the first. I think she herself said, ‘I will be the first, but I will not be the last,’” Alavilli said. “Simply by getting that position of power, she can prove that other people can do it too.”
Sophomore Brynn Dyer pointed out that with people of color in multiple sects of the government, there would be more diverse outlooks and more representation of the general population.
“I hope Kamala brings more people with less biases into the court system and government in general. We just have so many of the same old white men,” Dyer said. “They could have some biases – everyone has biases – but it would just be better if you have a level playing field with more people from different backgrounds and cultures.”
While librarian media assistant Carol Bamsch believes it is essential to listen to a spectrum of opinions, she said it is more important to have someone with the right experience, not just because they are non-traditional.
“I’m certainly by no means saying we need more women for the sake of having women,” Bamsch said. “Yes, we do, but I also want to have women in there who can represent and do the job well, on both sides, on both parties. It doesn’t have to be one party or the other, but equitability on both sides of the parties.”
Social science teacher David Ledesma thinks that for Harris’ presidency to be fair, she needs a cabinet who is willing to challenge her ideas.
“Diversity is not just color. There’s diversity of thought also. Is she gonna put people in there who are Trump supporters who think what she’s doing is wrong, and then get all the ideas and make an educated decision, or she just gonna put people that agree with her?” Ledesma said. “That to me, is more important than worrying about what color somebody is.”
Due to her POC background, there is a mounting pressure for Harris to take significant action if she wins. English teacher Dan Eaton, believes her conduct in office will set precedent on how the public will view women in not just presidential office but in leadership as a whole. Eaton commented that this pressure comes down to discriminatory attitudes toward perceived marginalized groups.
“The idea that she now has to carry the expectations of all women and all women of color on her back, and if she does a good job, maybe it’ll be good, but if she doesn’t, they’re going to point to it as one of those stereotypes,” Eaton said. “I think a lot of people of color have to perform even better than their white counterparts in order to show that they are just as good or even better, which is a huge struggle.”
The Trump and Harris presidential race has been a point of contention among the general public. Ledesma believes that for America to be united, it is crucial for both parties to be tolerant of one another, even if beliefs do not align.
“Everything now is identity politics or talking about our differences and why is this person marginalized or that person marginalized,” Ledesma said. “There’s not enough talk about bringing us all together as one cohesive culture with a government that’s tolerant of everyone. When you play identity politics, it can cause some issues. There’s not enough talk about unity.”