Kamala Harris’s “The Status of Women is the Status of Democracy”

July 30, 2024 | Sarah Robertson | Reference, Schlager Anthologies, Schlager Digital Library, U.S. History, Uncategorised, Women's History

In light of Vice President Kamala Harris’s historic run for president, we are highlighting her 2021 speech “The Status of Women Is the Status of Democracy.” This speech can be found in The Schlager Anthology of Women’s History, which features carefully curated documents along with scholarly introductions that put each document into its historical context. 

The Schlager Anthology of Women’s History is also part of the Schlager Digital Library, a collection of over 2,500 primary sources specially selected to support courses of study across U.S and world history, ethnic and gender studies, American government, and religious studies. Take a look at Harris’s speech below!

Kamala Harris: “The Status of Women Is the Status of Democracy”

Author

Kamala Harris

Date

2021

Document Type

Speeches/Addresses

Significance

Linked the worldwide rise of fascism and authoritarianism with a decline in the status of women, and pledged the support of the Biden administration for women’s issues worldwide

Overview

In 2021 Kamala Devi Harris (1964–) became the 49th vice president of the United States, serving with President Joe Biden. The former district attorney of Alameda County, California, Harris is the first African American, the first Asian American, and the first woman to hold the office of U.S. vice president.

Harris ran for the seat of retiring U.S. senator Barbara Boxer in 2016 after Boxer announced her retirement. In the election of that year, Harris handily defeated her rival, Representative Loretta Sanchez, and took her seat the following January. She quickly established a reputation as a strong critic of the methods of the Trump administration. In 2019 Harris declared her candidacy for the presidential election of the following year, but she withdrew before the primaries began. In March 2020 she accepted Joe Biden’s offer to serve as his running mate.

Delivered March 15, 2021, this is Harris’s first speech before the United Nations. The “defense of democracy” theme of this speech refers indirectly to the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. The assault was an attempt to overturn the results of the presidential election, prevent the inauguration of Joe Biden, and reestablish Donald Trump, the loser of the election, as president. In her speech Harris directly links the worldwide rise of fascism and authoritarianism with a decline in the status of women, and she pledges the support of the Biden administration for women’s issues worldwide.

Document Text

This year, in considering the status of women—especially as it pertains to the participation of women in decision making—we must also consider the status of democracy. At its best, democracy protects human rights; promotes human dignity; and upholds the rule of law. It is a means to establish peace and shared prosperity. It should ensure every citizen, regardless of gender, has an equal voice; and free and fair elections that will respect the will of the people. At the same time, democracy requires constant vigilance, constant improvement—it is a work in progress. And today we know that democracy is increasingly under great strain. For 15 consecutive years, we have seen a troubling decline in freedom around the globe. In fact, experts believe that this past year was the worst, on record, for the global deterioration of democracy and freedom.

The status of democracy also depends, fundamentally, on the empowerment of women. Not only because the exclusion of women in decision-making is a marker of a flawed democracy, but because the participation of women strengthens democracy. COVID-19 has threated the economic security; the physical security; and the health of women everywhere. As women struggle to get the healthcare they need, the pandemic appears to be reversing the global gains we’ve made in the fight against HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, malnutrition, and maternal and child mortality. That’s why, on the first day of our administration, the United States reengaged as a member-state and leader in the World Health Organization; and we are revitalizing our partnership with UN Women, to help empower women worldwide.

 Eleanor Roosevelt, who shaped the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, once said, “Without equality there can be no democracy.” In other words, the status of women is the status of democracy. For our part, the United States will work to improve both.