Obama took to social media on Thursday, posting images of Harris alongside a caption about the monumental nomination.
Michelle Obama is sharing how thrilled she is that, unlike when she was a child, young girls of color will now have a role model who shows that “someone who looks like them can grow up to lead a nation like ours.” The former first lady was referring to Kamala Harris, who was announced Tuesday as Joe Biden’s running mate for his 2020 presidential campaign.
Obama took to social media on Thursday, posting images of Harris, 55, alongside a caption about the monumental nomination.
“You get used to it, even as a little girl -- opening the newspaper, turning on the TV, and hardly ever seeing anyone who looks like you,” she wrote. “You train yourself to not get your hopes up. And sometimes it’s a battle just to keep telling yourself that you might deserve more.”
“Because no matter how much you prepare, no matter what grades you get or even how high you rise at work, it always feels like someone is waiting to tell you that you’re not qualified,” Obama continued. “That you’re not smart enough. That you’re too loud or too bossy. That there’s just something about you…you’re just not quite the right fit.”
Obama then wrote that, although it takes time and frustration for change to show in the world, “signs of progress are all around us.”
“This week Senator @KamalaHarris, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, became the first Black woman and first Asian-American woman on a major party’s presidential ticket,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about all those girls growing up today who will be able to take it for granted that someone who looks like them can grow up to lead a nation like ours. Because @KamalaHarris may be the first, but she won’t be the last.”
“I am here for it all,” the former first lady added. “Let us embrace and celebrate this moment. Go get ‘em girl. 💪🏾.”
Harris’ nomination makes her the first Black woman on a major party presidential ticket.
Obama’s husband, and former president, Barack Obama was just as excited at the news.
"Her own life story is one that I and so many others can see ourselves in: a story that says that no matter where you come from, what you look like, how you worship, or who you love, there’s a place for you here,” he wrote after hearing the announcement. “It’s a fundamentally American perspective, one that’s led us out of the hardest times before. And it’s a perspective we can all rally behind right now."
See more on how people reacted to Harris’ nomination below.
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