Dear Kamala

February 1, 2021
Grateful letters on the occasion of a historic election. After Barack Obama was elected, Brooks-Bertram, an activist, historian, and co-founder of the Uncrowned Queens Institute for Research and Education on Women, gathered and published a compendium of letters to Michelle Obama, and she followed with a collection to support the first Black woman superintendent of Buffalo Public Schools. Kamala Harris' election as vice president inspires her latest effort, a volume of "greetings, advice, warnings, prayers, requests, affirmations, and demands" from 100 women around the world, including activists, professionals, civil rights leaders, and Girl Scouts. "I am going to reach for my dreams because of Kamala and not be criticized as a black girl," writes a ninth grade Girl Scout from New York. "One piece of advice I would give you is to not listen to people who say you can't do it," counsels a fifth grade Girl Scout from California. The letters are consistently ebullient, celebratory, and hopeful. A retired community activist from Atlanta exults, "My heart got that burst of pride that comes when one of my own children does something that makes me particularly proud to be their mother." A Jamaican immigrant living in NYC: "Your drive, leadership and fortitude is so needed in this country right now, and I know that you will be able to accomplish your goals despite roadblocks that will come your way....I also hope that you and Joe Biden will reestablish The President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities." Many writers urge Harris to address the nation's many ills: systemic racism, White supremacy, climate change, the criminal justice system, and the racial, economic, housing, and medical disparities that have accelerated during the pandemic. "You have the opportunity to be a light in the darkness," notes a business leader from Oklahoma. "You have our support behind you," says a director and cinematographer, "but please, vote for us as we voted for you." Ardent testimony to the significance of Harris' triumph.

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