Another First for Women

Note: This blog post was written by Cassidy Pelkey. She is a current intern at LWVMN. We asked her, as a young woman, to pen a reflection on this historic milestone.

At one point or another, almost every woman has been told she could not do something, simply because she is a woman. Two of my most distinct childhood memories are of times when I was told I could not participate or measure up because I was a girl. Like many women, I found these encounters belittling, beguiling, and disempowering. So how do we recover, move on, even grow stronger from these encounters, instead of letting them take away the dignity they seek to steal? I can’t speak for every woman, but for me, it was through being lifted up by the other women in my life: family, friends, professors, teachers, and the like. However, in order to lift me--us-- up, these women needed to be in positions in which they could do so.

In Minnesota, this story begins with Myrtle Agnes Cain, the first woman (along with three others) to be elected to the State House of Representatives in 1922. It begins with Pamela Alexander, the first African American, woman judge in the state. It begins with Jessie Diggins, the first athlete to win cross-country ski gold for the United States at an Olympic Games, along with Kikkan Randall. These women, and countless others have paved the way for those of us who follow. Now, we have yet another trail-blazer on the national level to succeed.

This is perhaps what makes it so monumental for me to see the first woman swear the oath of office to become the Vice President: there is now a woman in nearly the highest position of power in our country to lift up both the women around her and all of the women in this country. Not only does the new Vice President Harris’ position serve as a place from which to inspire and empower, it also means that for the first time in American history, the last voice in the room with the President will be the voice of a woman. As when watching other women trailblazers accomplish their goals, girls and women around the country now have a new level at which we can see ourselves reflected in. I find it challenging to articulate what this really means to me. For myself, and for (I imagine) most women, whose voices have been dismissed, unheard or ignored for most of history it’s almost impossible to overstate the meaning and importance of having a Madam Vice President’s voice and presence in the White House.

Although Vice President Harris joins a long line of women firsts, hers is a remarkable one. As of approximately 12pm on January 20th, 2021, there is now a woman in one of the most prominent positions of power and prestige in this country. She serves as a reminder to every person who ever doubted us, that women are more than capable of succeeding at whatever they choose to do. No longer can the critics say that a woman’s role is simply to be a support to those in power in this country; now she is one of those in power.