Women of color have been trailblazing for centuries. But this is a thick glass ceiling that we’ve been slamming away at for a long time. Watching it shatter into a million, insignificant pieces before our eyes is life-altering. 

You see, it's hard to expect these things to happen for us when we’ve been told “no” for so long. This is why representation matters, because we’ve never been able to lookinto a mirror and seen the future vice president of the United States, without seeing the first.

This is just what we needed to see after the setback women faced in 2016, and again early in the 2020 cycle. Six women ran for the Democratic Party’s nomination and ultimately lost to a man. Shocker. 

Kamala Harris said she “eats no for breakfast.” We all should live by that. We’ve gotten used to this idea that we have to conform to what others think we’re capable of, and she’s living proof that that’s not the case. 

I don’t know about you, but “Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking,” has stuck with me since the vice presidential debate. I know I’ve not been the only non-white, non-male person in a conversation that was ignored, interrupted, and silenced. We’ve all had these moments. And they live in the back of our minds long after they’re over. Hearing Kamala Harris refuse to be silenced by the Vice President on national television was monumental for me.

Witnessing Kamala address the nation for the first time as Madam Vice President-elect was awe-inspiring. Her nod to the suffragettes who came before us and secured the right to vote and hold public office for women was powerful. The timing of this victory couldn’t be more poetic; this July was the centennial of the 19th amendment, and now, thanks to the women who put it all on the line for us to be able to live our own historic achievements like this, we can look forward to female representation in the People’s House come January. 

This is what we needed. We needed a strong woman of color to show us that this is possible for us. We’re tired of seeing white men dominate the institutions that decide how we live and what rights we have. 

We deserve a seat at the table. We deserve to be heard. We needed someone to chew the word “no” up and spit it out and turn our world upside down. The sky was always the limit, but now it doesn’t feel so unattainable. 

Second in line to the free world. The first female of color to become the VP nominee for a major party.This feels good, but it feels even better because it’s just the beginning. We can’t stop at second in line.

So to my fellow young women of color who are trying to find their place in this big world: don’t be afraid to take up all of the space; Talk over the people who talk over you and reclaim your voice when it is silenced. 

Learn the phrase “excuse me, I’m speaking,” backwards and forwards, and use it early and often. 

Empower your fellow women. All of them. Celebrate all of the wins, even if they’re not yours. You’ll get your moment too, but remember that it’s okay to clap for the ones who get their's sooner; they’ll be rooting for you when it’s your turn. 

But whatever you do, don’t let up now. We have to take this momentum and sprint with it, continuing to break down the barriers in front of us.