Published By: Soham Halder

Kamala Harris' Birthday: A Celebration of Empowering Women in Leadership

The rise of Kamala Harris is considered as a turning point for women worldwide.

Happy Birthday Kamala Harris, the US vice-president aspiring to become the first woman for country's top job. The rise of Kamala Harris has been exceptional, driven by her talent, hardwork, and effective marketing techniques along with the support from prominent figures including Barack Obama, George Clooney, and Olivia Rodrigo. On her birthday today, let's discuss how Kamala Harris paves the way for future girl leaders.

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Kamala’s Early Life Lessons in Women’s Rights:

Kamala Harris was born to two immigrant parents: an Indian-born mother and Jamaican-born father in Oakland, California. When, she was only five years old, her parents got separated. Later, Kamala was raised entirely by her single mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who was a cancer researcher by profession as well as a civil rights activist.

While speaking about lessons learnt from her mother, Kamala once mentioned: "She was tough, courageous, a trailblazer in the fight for women’s health. She taught us to never complain about injustice, but do something about it.”

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A Remarkable Journey of Firsts, An Inspiration for Women:

Harris began her career as the district attorney, the top prosecutor for Alameda County. She served topmost position for the city of San Francisco during 2004 to 2011. Later, she became the the first woman, elected to serve as the top lawyer in America's most populous state, California. Eventually, Harris received the position of first woman Vice President of America in 2021.

In 2019, Harris said in an interview: "My mother used to have a saying and she would say to me, 'Kamala you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you're not the last.'”

Kamala’s Unique Strategy to Empower Women for Mitigating Climate Change:

The Vice President has always been vocal about women’s economic empowerment for environmental sustainability. She understood clearly gender disparity as an obstacle for the fight against global warming and climate change. Under the Biden-Harris administration, the US government has taken notable initiatives to improve women’s roles in important sectors. Meanwhile, these strategies have secured more than $1.4 billion in funding from governments as well as private sector organizations, and stakeholders. This indicates her commitment towards integrating gender equality into climate action globally.

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Kamala's Legacy:

About her journey, Gil Duran, a former communications director for Harris mentioned: "Many people didn't think she had the discipline and focus to ascend to a position in the White House so quickly... although people knew she had ambition and star potential. It was always clear that she had the raw talent.”

The rise of women in power in the form of Kamala Harris in the United States reflects a massive shift toward more inclusive leadership roles. However, for this sustained progress, the responsibility is on us to de-stigmatize women leadership and treat them as equals. As a responsible human being, we must glorify and protect the achievements of women in different fields to ultimately normalize the presence of women in roles conventionally dominated by men. Only then, a culture will be created where young girls will aspire to get leadership roles.

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“What I want young women and girls to know is: You are powerful and your voice matters. You’re going to walk into many rooms in your life and career where you may be the only one who looks like you or who has had the experiences you’ve had. But you remember that when you are in those rooms, you are not alone. We are all in that room with you applauding you on. Cheering your voice. And just so proud of you. So you use that voice and be strong,” said Kamala Harris in an interview.