Exclusive: Meet 2020 Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris!

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It’s time to get familiar! Most recently the Bay Area has been making noise with sounds from G-Eazy, Saweetie, and many others but this Bay area badass is making a difference beyond music. This Monday, January 21st, the day in which we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr., Californian State Senator Kamala Harris strategically announced her run for the 2020 Presidential race. Upon the announcement, I experienced a storm of support for the Oakland native. Initially, I was excited to see a woman of color announcing her run for leader of the new world; especially considering the state of our country lead by president Donald Trump. However, I wasn’t moved. I needed a better reason to support Kamala Harris further than the color of her skin and the change that we desperately seek. Immediately I decided to do my research on Harris so that I could confidently support her (or not) with truth and accuracy.

For The People

Kamala Harris’ motto is “for the people,” and she has the extensive resume to back that up! Born in Oakland, California to Jamaican and Indian immigrants, Kamala was inspired by the success and the beliefs of her father to pursue economics and law at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Returning to California, Harris received her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law in 1989. In 2003, Harris was elected District Attorney of San Francisco where she implemented the Back On Track initiative, a reentry program for those who are nonviolent, first-time drug offenders whose crimes were not weapon- or gang-related while fighting graciously to tighten loopholes in bail and drug programs, creating safe and supportive programs and laws for the LGBTQ+ community amongst many other efforts.

After a successful campaign, Harris was elected attorney general in California in January 2011 making her the first female of color to hold the position. One of the first things Harris participated in was the National Mortgage Settlement against five banks, where she secured $12 billion of debt reduction for the state’s homeowners and $26 billion before she introduced the California Homeowner’s Bill of Rights in the California State Legislature. A major move against the 1% for the people! Other achievements include effective changes and efforts towards prison reform and issued subpoenas against oil and gas companies amongst to name a few.

In November 2016 Harris was elected U.S. Senator of California taking office at the beginning of 2017. Since then, Kamala has served “the people” putting pressure on Donald Trump and the rest of Congress on issues relating to immigration policies, education, prison reform and the controversial firing of James Comey, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. With only two years in the Senate, Harris’ impact has been felt all across the board. With that said, Harris’ experience in law and previous successes in office make her an ideal candidate for the 2020 presidential election.

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Conclusion

Personally, I believe that Kamala Harris has the experience needed to not only lead our country in a different and much-needed direction, but I believe that she also has the capability to bridge the gap between Americans. With most, if not all, of her political views aligning with my personal views and the freedom and rights of the people, Kamala is a great reflection of what our country could be. This goes with being said: we need to do a better job supporting our leaders moving forward. Do your own research! Figure out what issues matter to you and who best represents the change you’d like to see. Kamala Harris is just one of a dozen candidates for the Democratic party alone! It’s important that we are vigilant in our fight for change especially in this day and age. As part of the BennettKnows initiative to deliver thought-provoking, culture-shifting content, we’ll be covering more candidates moving forward! If you’d like to become involved in the conversation and/or request more information on certain candidates and issues feel free to sound off in the comment box below! Remember, change starts with you; right here, right now!