San Francisco mayor London Breed, Cook County top prosecutor Kim Foxx, and Public Rights Project founder Jill Habig pay tribute to their mentor.
To mark International Women’s Day 2021, we’re celebrating some of our favorite women—with tributes from some of their favorite women. From Vice President Kamala Harris to Misty Copeland, these women have inspired us, moved us, and shown us that a better world is possible. We’ll be sharing their stories here all week. For more stories of women breaking barriers, get a copy of Glamour’s new book, Glamour: 30 Years of Women Who Have Reshaped the World.
In her inaugural speech as the first woman elected vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris invoked a line that she'd shared often on the campaign trail. She recalled the women who'd paved the path she was walking now and promised that, while she would be the first woman to hold this office, she wouldn't be the last.
It'll be a while before we see proof that Harris is right, but her track record suggests she will work as hard as she can to help women follow in her footsteps, whether that's as candidates for political office or as influential voices in law and civil rights. Her career highlights are at this point well-known—in 2003 she was elected district attorney of San Francisco; in 2010 she won the race for attorney general of California; in 2016 she prevailed in the Senate, becoming the second Black woman and the first South Asian American to serve in the chamber in an otherwise crushing election.
All the while, according to the women who know her, she has been committed to tackling the uphill climb ahead of her so that the women who follow might find the terrain a little easier to navigate.
Here three women who've benefited from Harris's advice and mentorship share their tributes to our historic vice president. —Mattie Kahn
“Kamala Harris taught me that future generations of girls are counting on us.”
Kamala Harris represents the living embodiment of the dreams of my foremother. Growing up, I heard my mother and grandmother tell me that I could do anything—that there were no boundaries. But I witnessed a different reality. My mother and my grandmother were not able to reach their fullest potential because of longstanding barriers to Black women. Their message to me, while aspirational, was not rooted in a tangible reality, and as a result, as a young Black girl, I became acutely aware of racism and the barriers that were in place for women, especially Black women like myself.
Today my daughters live in a United States in which Kamala Harris holds the position of vice president, the first woman to be elected to this position, and the first Black woman at that. Kamala Harris has been the first of many things: the first Black woman district attorney in San Francisco. The first Black California attorney general. I am proud that today when I tell my daughters that they can be anything, these words are real, not merely aspirational.
My story and admiration of Kamala is not just one built from watching her on TV screens and seeing her in newspapers. I am proud to call Kamala a friend and a mentor. Our paths first crossed back in 2016, when we were both running for public office—Kamala to be a United States senator and me to be the first Black woman elected as Cook County state’s attorney. Even in her ascent, Kamala reached out to me to offer support and to be a resource—one “first” to another. It was a fulfillment of her commitment of “being the first but not the last.”
Her advice to me carried incredible weight because I knew she had walked the very same walk as a Black female top prosecutor. In a world that is built on counting Black women out, Kamala has worked tirelessly to bring more of us in and build us up.
After winning my race for the first time, Kamala told me: “Listen, Kim, it’s going to be hard. There are going to be pressures that are put on you unlike pressures that are put on white males or Black men—the scrutiny will be higher.” Her next piece of advice to me? “You have to be perfect.”
I’ll never forget it. Big-eyed, I gave her a look like, “Impossible…nobody is perfect.” Kamala countered, “You must raise your expectations of yourself higher. You have to aim to be perfect. Yes, you’ll miss, but you must aim higher so you can reach your potential.” The very potential Kamala has shown is possible—no longer just aspirational.
Kamala has never focused on the racism or sexism that she’s had to deal with. Instead, she uses this as fuel to propel her through her life and career. As the first Black woman elected to my position in Chicago, I have looked to Kamala as a voice of reason. Once she put her hands on my shoulders and told me, “Acknowledge things for what they are. Sexism and racism are ugly and unfair, meant to rob you of your potential. Despite this you must keep going. There’s no time for pity, no time for doubt. We as Black women must keep going.” It’s these words that ring through my head in moments of self-doubt. It’s feeling her hands on my shoulders, knowing she has made space for the first Black woman prosecutor in Cook County, and that I must also make space for other Black women to follow. Kamala Harris taught me that future generations of girls are counting on us to boldly break barriers so that they too can embody the dreams of our mothers.
State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is the first Black woman to lead the nation’s second-largest prosecutor’s office, in Cook County (Chicago). She has been recognized as one of the most progressive prosecutors through her forward-thinking, innovative strategies to intercept the cycles of violence and crime and for bringing change to a criminal justice system rooted in systemic racism. Follow @SAKimFoxx on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.