MELANIE L. CAMPBELL, PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL COALITION ON BLACK CIVIC PARTICIPATION AND CONVENER, BLACK WOMEN’S ROUNDTABLE STATEMENT ON THE HISTORIC
Washington, DC (January 20, 2021) -- Today, Kamala D. Harris was sworn in as the 49TH Vice President of the United States of America, making history as the second highest-ranking elected official in our nation. Vice President Harris is the first woman, and first Black and South Asian American, to break this glass ceiling.
Among the many distinguished witnesses at the proceedings on the Capitol steps was Melanie L. Campbell, President & CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) and Convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR) who attended the inaugural as the guest of Ohio Representative Joyce Beatty, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus. Comments Ms. Campbell, “My heart burst with pride today as I sat and personally witnessed one of the most iconic moments in American history, the swearing in of Kamala Harris as the first Black woman to become the 49thVice President of the United States.
“Vice President Harris’s accomplishment represents the leadership, hard work, determination and focus that Black women have displayed not only throughout this past election cycle, but for decades in our efforts to protect America’s democracy.
“For Black women, her becoming a ‘first’ in so many areas represents not the end, but it’s just the beginning.”