On January 20, 2021, Kamala Devi Harris became the first woman and first person of color to be sworn in as Vice President of the United States. Harris was sworn in shortly before Joseph R. Biden, Jr. took his oath of office as the 46th President of the United States. 

Harris, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian parents, was a U.S. Senator from California before joining Biden in his run for the White House. Before being elected to the Senate, Harris sought to reform the criminal justice system through her roles as District Attorney of San Francisco and as California’s Attorney General. 

Racial tensions were high this past summer after the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25. Floyd’s death triggered numerous Black Lives Matter protests throughout the country, exacerbating the already tenuous relationship between law enforcement and people of color. Harris’ election to the second highest office in the land is an important step towards racial equality. 

Students and administrators at Saint Patrick High School are well aware of Harris’ historic election and the impact her vice presidency will have on future generations of Americans. “Kamala Harris becoming the new Vice President along with the growing support for the BLM movement shows that we, as Americans, are changing for the better in terms of race relations,” said Saint Patrick senior Jack Perez. “While there is still a long road ahead in terms of making sure that everybody is truly treated equally, this is certainly a huge step in the right direction.” 

“I believe that the inauguration of a biracial VP combined with the BLM movement conveys that a large part of our country is pushing for real change,” said Saint Patrick Spanish teacher Ms. Rebecca McBride. “I think that a Kamala Harris vice presidency will be the guiding force behind Joe Biden’s Presidency and in the end will outshine it. I think Vice President Harris will push President Biden to bring changes that he might not have considered had anyone else been VP.”