A Moment of Reflection on Her Story, Our Story: KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA

A Moment of Reflection on Her Story, Our Story: KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

by Tawanda Hubbard, DSW, LCSW

“I need you to understand we are the women who marched from the cotton fields, into the fields of medicine, politics, law, education, entertainment; we even found a way to march ourselves into the White House as the First Lady of the United States of America. I say we because it is my belief that we do it together. Any achievement that any woman makes is an achievement for us all; any slight that any of us takes is a slight to us all.” - Jada Pinkett Smith

ow! Jada Pinkett Smith captured our nation. During her Vice-Presidential it well. Finally, we have our first acceptance speech, Ms. Harris shared she was woman—the first Black woman “thinking about her [mother] and about the andW first Southeast Asian woman—elected generations of women, Black women, Asian, Vice President of the United States of White, Latina, Native American women—who America. The road Kamala Harris has traveled throughout our nation’s history have paved the to get to this moment has not been easy. In way for this moment tonight—women who her own words: “that I am here tonight is a fought and sacrificed so much for equality and testament to the dedication of generations liberty and justice for all.” She continued, “I before me. Women and men who believed so reflect on their struggle, their determination, fiercely in the promise of equality, liberty and and the strength of their vision to see what justice for all.” can be unburdened by what has been. And I stand on their shoulders.” From the beginning of our nation’s history, certain groups of people have had to fight and struggle for equality, equity, and representation. White women, who won the right to vote in 1920, celebrated 100 years of voting rights in 2020. Black women, through the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, gained the same right to vote 55 year ago. It has been a long and winding road to get to this point, filled with strife, pain, violence, and loss. And we are still fighting for justice for all. Yet, we must take a moment to reflect and celebrate our progress—embracing the hope and opportunities that have emerged.

It is my hope that every woman will see a part of herself in Ms. Harris. Ms. Harris no doubt sees herself in the faces of women across

NJFOCUS • January 2021 | 7 NJFOCUS • January 2021 | 7 Ms. Harris’ words are powerful. As social workers—a field predominately made up of woman—we know the meaning of her words and the promise of change. We live it. We understand struggle, sacrifice, and strength. We are no strangers to bearing witness to the worst human beings can do to other human beings. As social workers, we walk closely with persons and communities that hold marginalized status in our society. They face barriers and obstacles based on the status society has assigned to them, in an interlocking system of oppression and privilege. It is the mission of social work to help people and communities overcome these barriers.

And men, please know we cannot fight this good fight alone. Your allyship is crucial to our fight for empowerment of women of all racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and Dr. Tawanda Hubbard is a Practitioner Scholar, Social Work socioeconomic backgrounds. As Ms. Harris Educator, Therapist, Business Administrator and the most stated, “there is no vaccine for racism, we must recent past-president of the NASW-NJ Chapter. do the work. For George Floyd; for Breonna Taylor; for the lives of too many others to name. We have got to do the work to fulfill the promise of equality under the law. Because none of us are free until all of us are free.”

There is a divide in our nation, evident by the popular vote in our 2020 presidential election. It will take all Americans, especially social workers who are educated and trained as change agents, to lead this charge. We were made for these times. Take those extra steps to heal the divide in our great nation and show America who Social Workers are and how we get it done! Recognize the power each one of us holds, celebrate one another, and validate each other as we prepare for the work ahead. The moment is now!

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