Kamala Harris Wins It All: Will They Say Her Name Now?

By: Tatyana Woodall

Almost four days after Election Day, after defeating presidential incumbent Donald J. Trump In one of the most nerve-racking races of the century, former Vice President Joe Biden is projected to become the 46th president of the United States. 

Kamala Harris, California senator and former candidate for the presidency herself, will also make history as a triple threat. She will become the first woman, first Black and Indian-American woman, and the first child of immigrants to be sworn in as Vice President next year. 

In the midst of those successes, it seems like nothing could undercut this historic moment of racial accomplishment. 

But after heading a campaign filled with racist slights and admittedly satisfying clapbacks from Harris to Vice President Pence,  some Republicans have settled on using subtler microaggressions to belittle her progress. 

From Fox New’s host Tucker Carlson refusing to say her name correctly in August (even after a reprimand from democratic campaign advisor Richard Goodstein) to Trump’s own claims that Kamala Harris is unable to pronounce her own name, the dismissal of one woman’s power - wrapped inside her literal name - is just as damaging to our country as the deep blue-and-red lines the 2020 election revealed. 

These racially-charged misnomers are also frequently tagged onto Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, three members of the aptly named ‘squad’ of Congress. 

But as Harris ascends to the second-highest office in the land, should we expect that to change? Will racial defiance suddenly turn into governmental deference?

Under Biden’s leadership, while millions of people will take the opportunity to disparage her even further, the kind of blatant racism that’s run rampant the past four years will most likely fade into the background in favor of the covert. 

Thanks to cities with large Black populations like Detroit and Atlanta that helped flip key states, America could get a new beginning on Jan. 20, but confronting systemic racism doesn’t end with earning a seat at the table. 

So when someone refuses to pronounce Kamala’s - or your - name correctly,  take the time to tell them what’s really inside a name. 

Power, that’s what.