Pink and Green All Day, Every Day

I bought some Chucks. I have never owned a pair of Chucks because they do not look good on my feet, but today, September 8, 2020, I bought some Chucks.

When Kamala Harris was CA State Attorney General, it was clear that she was ambitious. I considered her family background - married to a white man and never giving birth to children - as insanely difficult to overcome and something that America may not be ready to accept as president. Yet, when she ran for president in 2019, I was solely focused on Kamala running for office for one reason - it was her time.

Black women have finally been recognized as the backbone of the Democratic Party. The second backbone is Black men, but Black women have been a huge supporter of Hillary Clinton and other Democratic leaders throughout the south since 2016. Black women have been the change agents. Also, Kamala Harris has been gifted at explaining the impeachment and the plethora of corrupt details of this presidency and the rest of the Grand Old Party. She has demonstrated a level of legal wit that many other candidates could never do; therefore, we will no longer be the wife of the president or beg people for an appointment - Black Women can be the president of these United States of America.

I love Michelle Obama, but she rejected the model of Eleanor Roosevelt and Hillary Clinton. She decided to be a helpmate to her husband, which worked for their relationship and her mindset. Yet, Barack Obama missed the opportunity to appoint the first Black woman to the Supreme Court. He missed the idea to help Black women advance, as he focused more on Black men. This is not a criticism, but in 2019 (and not 2020), Black women are not taking a back or side seat anymore. We don’t want an appointment or the White House; we want both.

A few weeks ago, Kamala Harris became the Vice President nominee. In her complexity, she is a Black woman wrapped in a Black woman’s experience - she attended an HBCU and she is a member of my sorority as an undergraduate initiate - Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She is not an honorary member, such as Eleanor Roosevelt, she pledged with a line name, number, and probate pictures. (If you don’t know what those words are, then just Google or by Lawrence Ross’ Divine Nine book).

Since Biden’s announcement, I have actually experienced more ignorance from my colleagues. I have even engaged in a few arguments with a family member about this appointment. Each time, I had to be very explicit - I am a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, and thus she is my family. I will support her, vote for her, campaign for her, write articles to support her, donate to her. She is my sister even if I never met her yet.

My five-year-old boy saw a picture of President Obama and said “he looks just like me except his hair. It is gray.” In that moment, I grasped even more that my daughter will now have the same experience. Therefore, my daughter hosted an AKA party on the day of her acceptance speech at the DNC. I have been wearing pink and green, AKA letters, and/or a Kamala Harris shirt. My back has straightened, and my voice is stronger. I will not tolerate the same level of disrespect and disregard in my career or personal life because now is the time to say enough is enough.

Even though my feet hates chucks, I bought not just one, but two pairs of chucks.