Kamala, We Hear You
I felt the gases in my stomach starting to churn as I watched this week’s VP debate. The already curly hairs at the nap of my neck felt moist. The interaction between Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris triggered some uncomfortable memories of my days in Fortune 100 meeting rooms. I know women all over this country were experiencing similar feelings as they witnessed an accomplished woman being talked down to, talked over and dismissed.
With his smug self righteousness Pence was channeling far too many white male executives we have all had the displeasure of working with. He dominated the clock and gave the proverbial blow off to his opponent. He didn’t listen, he didn’t defer, he didn’t have to because he was looking down from his lofty perch built on testosterone and entitlement.
It is a nauseous and obnoxious mix that still dominates this country from the board rooms of Corporate America to the halls of Congress. In Wednesday night’s debate it was abundantly clear that the good old boys club is alive and well and being championed at the highest levels.
In spite of the advancements of women; there are still too many men like Pence who use their white male privilege and power to diminish women. Like Pence did to Kamala, these predators try to steal your ideas, turn the truth on its head, and correct you constantly in an effort to put you in your place. Even though her bona fides blow his away, she had to prove she belonged in the room while he just strolled in and tried to bluster his way around.
Kamala never let him see her sweat. She was masterful. She followed the rules of the debate and the unwritten rules of gender and race to “play nice” as a woman and especially a Black woman. She kept her composure, she leaned into her charisma and wasn’t defensive or offensive. She was firm without being forceful. “I’m speaking,” she said repeatedly as the Vice President kept interrupting her. Her brilliance, her prosecutorial style was on display, yet still I feel the unspoken rules of racism and sexism forced her to dumb it down for the dummy in the room. She couldn’t be too strident, too strong or too steady lest she be labeled uppity, angry or a bitch.
If I had a dime for every time I heard that was how I was referred to behind my back, I would be a wealthy woman. Yes, what we saw on that debate stage was a reminder that it’s tough being a woman in a man’s world, no doubt. But if you think its hard being a woman, try being a Black woman.
In the words of Malcolm X: “The most disrespected person in America, is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.”
We are neither white, nor men. We are double outsiders. If white women hit the glass ceiling, more often than not, we can’t get off the ground floor.
And it is not just about respect and neglect. It is also about economics. According to a 2020 study on inequity in compensation conducted by LeanIn.org, on average Black women in the U.S. are paid 38 percent less than white men and 21 percent less than white women. There are only four Black people running Fortune 500 companies in this country and none of them are women. From entry level to the C suite the share of Black women remains small. Black women currently occupy 4 percent of management roles; while the bulk of our sisters are toiling in low-paying, inflexible service occupations that lack benefits and put them in greater peril in a pandemic.
This is the lens through which we watched the debate. We knew all too well what we were looking at. We see it every day. That’s why we are so proud and protective of those few who do beat the odds.
In spite of the headwinds she faced Kamala Harris worked her way up the ranks to become the first woman and first Black person to hold the post of Attorney General of California. She is one of 26 women currently serving in the Senate and the only Black women in their ranks. She is the first Black woman vice presidential nominee of a major political party in this country’s checkered history.
So, while our paths may be different, the journey has in many ways been the same. When we see Kamala, we see ourselves. You better believe we are proud. We know what it is like to be the only Black woman in the room and still not be seen or heard.
