Madam Vice President
The last four years have been stressful. I felt that I had to check daily to make sure that Trump had not done something like start a war. Not that I could have done anything about it, but I felt it was my duty to stay on top of it. Now, I can breathe a huge sigh of relief. I know that someone is in charge, that adults are running the country. I might not agree with everything, but at least I have comfort in knowing that nothing crazy will happen on a whim.
One of the most memorable scenes from the inauguration is watching Kamala’s nieces cheering her on. They are young, they know nothing else but that their aunt is the VP of the country, and before that was the Senator of California after being the Attorney General. Jobs of leadership that many women would have never dreamed of being able to hold not that long ago.
I have been doing a bunch of research on women over the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries who have had a massive impact with the producer of my podcast. We keep asking ourselves many questions. Why is it always a constant challenge for women to be recognized? Why is having a family have anything to do with our careers? Why do men ask women if we intend on having a family when raising money or taking a big job? Why would they wonder if we are up to the task of raising a family and a company? Why should having children be debilitating not an asset? Why aren’t more mothers being reflected in our culture as positive role models? Why can’t we be more emotional? Why can’t we stand up on the table more and shout out to the world, yes, I did, and yes, I am! The bottom line, it is much harder for women. And even harder for black and brown women.
Why do some men talk down to women, even the ones who have accomplished so much? Try managing a career, keeping the house stocked, the kid’s doctor appts, and everything else in between. It’s always a difficult business environment for women when we are outnumbered, and most of the time, we are. It makes us feel incapable. It makes us question ourselves.
It shouldn’t be that hard. Look at our history. There countless women who have had unbelievable success, from building companies to building products, and most of us don’t know their names. Did any of these women push to be a leader and equal at the table, or did they just do their stuff and go home? In every business, we need to figure out how to have more female voices heard and our faces seen.
Kamala Harris just changed our seats at the table. Let’s look to her as our guiding light. Let’s look to the other 12 women who have been chosen to sit on President Biden’s team. Are we move forward it’s harder to go back. The data shows the importance of equality anywhere and everywhere is better for everything. The time is ripe for change.