Kamala Harris Encourages Female Democratic Leaders to Run For Public Office

U.S. Senate candidate and current California Attorney General Kamala Harris joined fellow female Democratic leaders Monday in highlighting the need for more women leaders in public office across the country.

Speaking at Emerge America’s 10th anniversary celebration Monday afternoon, Harris said that when women break the barriers set up before them, “it is for the benefit of society.”

Emerge America, an organization that aims to change the face of American politics by identifying, training and encouraging women to run for office, get elected and then seek a higher office, started in California in 2005.

The Emerge model was created in 2002 by a group of San Francisco Bay Area Democratic women who saw a need for more representation of women in public office. Today, Emerge is in 14 states with intentions to expand to all 50 U.S. states.

Notable Bay Area alumni of the Emerge America training program gathered at the celebration today including San Francisco Supervisor London Breed and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff, among others.

Harris said society is still not embracing women and their right to be in charge of their own safety and their own bodies.

She said it’s crucial that more women stand up for equality and run for public office in California, and across the country.

Harris said she believes women leaders are key to fixing some of America’s toughest challenges, including childhood education, environmental preservation, reproductive rights and gender equality.

Harris said she is excited that more and more women are “fighting for the ideals of our country” and encouraged women everywhere to challenge the status quo.

She said two-thirds of the minimum wage workers in the United States are women and that if more women were in public office, such inequalities might change.

Harris said that when women are not allowed to make decisions regarding their own reproductive health, “it is a civil rights issue”.

U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton joined the celebration today via a video message, in which she said she is eager to get to a place where mothers can tell their daughters, “You can be everything you want, even president of the United States.”

--Bay City News Service