Swearing-in of Vice President Kamala Harris inspires girls nationwide
"You see Kamala Harris," one mom said. "We can be anything that we want."
As Vice President Kamala Harris took the oath of office Wednesday, becoming the first woman and first woman of color to hold the office, children across the country watched with a new understanding of what is possible.
In Washington, D.C., where Harris was inaugurated alongside President Joe Biden, 1-year-old Regan Kennedy Adams watched at her home with her parents and three older siblings, who helped explain to Regan the significance of what was happening.
"They were trying to explain to her, ‘Your name is so presidential. You see Kamala Harris. We can be anything that we want,'" said Regan's mom, Kendall Maloney. "It was really special for all of us to watch it."
Last month, ahead of the inauguration and Regan's first birthday, Maloney arranged a photo shoot that featured Regan, who turned 1 on Jan. 5, wearing a power suit and pearls like Harris, standing behind a presidential lectern and American flags.
Maloney said she wanted to take the photos to show Regan and all kids that "representation matters."
"I wanted her to always be able to look back at these pictures and know that we as her parents are setting her up to let her know that she can be anything she wants in life," Maloney, a teacher, said of herself and Regan's dad, Christopher Thomas Adams. "That as a woman and as a young Black woman, she can be anything she puts her mind to."
Throughout Inauguration Day, social media was flooded with photos of young children celebrating Harris' historic achievement.
Actress Mindy Kaling and TV producer Shonda Rhimes each shared photos of their daughters watching Harris make history as vice president.
"I’m so excited for my daughter!," former Baltimore Ravens receiver Torrey Smith wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of his daughter. "Anything is possible but it’s different when you see it!"
Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D.-Mass., also took to Twitter to thank Vice President Harris, writing, "By taking your seat, you've planted seeds, shattered ceilings & blown open doors. We feel collective pride & promise."
And on the day of Harris' inauguration, #madamvicepresident became a trending hashtag on Twitter.
Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton also posted about Harris breaking the glass ceiling.
"It delights me to think that what feels historical and amazing to us today--a woman sworn in to the vice presidency--will seem normal, obvious, 'of course' to Kamala's grand-nieces as they grow up," Clinton wrote, alongside a photo of Harris with the daughters of her niece, Meena Harris. "And they will be right."
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