2020 Election Results: Black Women and WOC Make History

A senator from California and former prosecutor, Kamala Harris, has a track record in breaking new ground. Now, she is the first woman, first black person and the first person of Asian descent elected to the country’s second-highest office.

Born to an Indian mother and Jamaican father, Harris has risen higher in the country’s leadership than any woman before her.

She often spoke on the campaign trail of those who had come before her, specifically of her parents, who were immigrants drawn to the civil rights struggle in the United States — and of the ancestors who’ve paved the way.

During her first address to the nation, the Vice-President-Elect declared her victory as the beginning for women.

“While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last,” Harris said in her acceptance speech at a drive-in rally in Delaware.

“Every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibility,” she said.

There’s no doubt that her win means a lot to women of color everywhere.

Even after the election had been called because of President-elect Joe Biden’s overwhelming lead in Electoral votes, Harris’ hard-fought win was met with some challenges.

There are several allegations of what President Trump calls “voter fraud.” Currently, there are five remaining lawsuits that President Trump’s campaign has in Georgia aiming to dispute the results of the 2020 election. The Trump administration’s claims have yet to be proven.

Nonetheless, Harris has broken a glass ceiling for women in the United States.

“Yes, I totally agree, because it’s the first time we’ve ever seen a black woman Vice President. This gives black little girls hope, and it shows that they too can be in the White House,” said GHC student, Abrianna Betts.

Kamala Harris has managed to do the seemingly impossible for some. Although, she is not the only woman who made history in the recent election season.

Mauree Turner, a black, queer, progressive newcomer, has made history in Oklahoma.

At just 27-years-old, Turner won her election for state House in Oklahoma’s 88th district, making history as the first non-binary and black Muslim elected to the state’s legislature.

The political freshman won the seat over Republican Kelly Barlean. In the heavily Republican state, Turner’s district is mostly Democratic.

Michele Rayner-Goolsby has made history by becoming the first, out LGBTQ black woman elected to Florida’s House of Representatives.

Rayner-Goolsby, who describes herself as an “unapologetic black woman,” won in Florida’s District 70. Her victory was a certainty after winning the Democratic primary, as she was unopposed in the general election.

A black Lives Matter activist, Cori Bush, in Missouri slid into an election night victory to become the state’s first black congresswoman.

Cori Bush, who may become the fifth member of “The Squad,” gained 84 percent of Missouri’s first Congressional District’s vote.

“The Squad,” a group of women of color that have been heavily opposed by President Trump and other republicans countless times have also paved the way for women. Despite the negative attention they frequently receive, Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) are all back in the House of Representatives.