NORFOLK, Va. — Kamala Harris could be the first woman, first Indian-American and first Black Vice President of the United States, if elected in November.
Norfolk State University professor of interdisciplinary studies Dr. Khadijah Miller says that's very culturally significant, and shows a changing landscape at the top of American politics.
"Culturally speaking this is phenomenal," Miller said. "Because she has an authentic experience to lean from and to make informed decisions that are inclusive."
Harris, a California senator, graduated from Howard University, an historically Black university in Washington, D.C. Miller said that's important for the students she teaches at Norfolk State University.
“Here is a VP candidate that comes from a similar education background as myself, here is a VP candidate who looks like me, who may have a similar heritage or family situation as myself," Miller said. "It will encourage them and I am hopeful it will push them to be civically engaged.”
Miller said a shared cultural experience is more important than we recognize, especially for people in power.
"Cultural experience truly does inform how you see the world," Miller said. “Her coming from Howard University she represents those skillsets, that sensitivity, that cultural awareness.”
If elected on the Biden ticket, Harris would become the first female Vice President.
“Women provide a perspective that has been missing from our federal administration," Miller said.
Harris was the Attorney General of California between 2011 and 2017 and ran for the Democratic presidential nomination last year.