Colourful Road Ahead For Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris's candidature for the Vice Presidential post has turned many heads and brought her Indian heritage to the forefront. Rohit Tripathi, founder of Young India Inc, examines her career and the role that her election can play in Indian-American politics. 

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ON August 11, 2020, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden picked Senator Kamala Harris of California as his running mate for the vice presidency. Senator Harris became the third woman to get on a US presidential ticket. She wrote herself into the history books for being the first woman of colour in that position. She is the daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father. Naturally, both the African-American and Indian-American communities felt a deep sense of pride at the announcement of her selection.

Before we dive into the specific implications of Senator Harris's selection and possible victory, it is crucial to look at this moment in American history. The 2020 US presidential election is going to take place in a volatile backdrop. This volatility is fuelled by a raging, sadly politicised, once-in-a-century pandemic and the oft-ignored plight of the African American community that re-emerged as a test for America's moral well-being, which is not looking good.

The political system is also fractured like never before. Republicans have completely cast their lot with President Donald Trump, whose view of executive power and the role of institutions has been colored by political compulsions.