Madam Vice President

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Katie McClellan

Newly sworn in Vice President Kamala Harris on the cover of Vogue Magazine’s January issue.

Katie McClellan, Co-Editor

Today is a special day.

In fact, today America is once again making history, and not the horrible kind we witnessed on Jan. 6. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris was sworn into office at noon today, becoming not only the first woman to hold the position, but also representing the diversity of Americans through her heritage.

Hillary Clinton said it best in an Instagram post this morning, “what feels historical and amazing to us today… will seem normal, obvious, ‘of course’ to Kamala’s grand-nieces as they grow up.” That is the kind of world I’m proud to know we are building for the next generation: one where kids aren’t boxed in by the color of their skin, their gender or their sexuality. The administration that Harris has created alongside Biden represents that shift from hate culture to embracing America as it is, a melting pot of culture, gender, race, sexuality, religion and more.

Today we celebrate women. Women like Harris’ mother who taught her to go after her dreams. Thanks to her, our first woman was sworn into the Vice Presidency this morning. While being a woman in this position shouldn’t be considered a feat, it has helped to bring America into a new decade where women lead. We celebrate Kamala Harris, or Mamala to her step-kids, for being a proud black woman with a mission to better this nation. We celebrate a woman who’s the child of immigrants who came to America looking for a better place to raise their children, and we hope that Harris can continue to make America a better place.

I cried along with many Americans the day the race was called. I celebrated along with the people flooding Washington Square Park in New York City and others who opened their windows and cheered from their balconies in Chicago. That moment was pivotal for our nation, but today mattered even more. Today, we closed a horrific chapter of distrust, disunion and destruction and ushered in a chapter of healing, justice and truth.

Today we made history. Today we not only swore our first woman into the office of the Vice President, but we welcomed the first African American and Asian American woman to that position. Americans made history today, Kamala Harris made history today.

Congratulations Madam Vice President.