As she stands on the doorsteps of the White House, poised to take her seat as the first Black vice president, Sen. Kamala Harris is making sure she inspires the next generation of trailblazers. The vice presidential candidate proved her intent in a video posted to Instagram. Harris’ niece, Meena Harris, posted the clip of Harris giving a pep-talk to her daughter, 4-year-old Amara Ajagu.
“You could be president,” the senator told Meena's 4-year-old girl.
But Harris also preached patience to the excited little girl.
"You could be President, but not right now," the senator said. "You have to be over the age of 35."
Although the clip was short, Harris' niece said the conversation was much longer.
"This conversation went on for like an hour," Meena wrote.
While she expressed her desire to become president, Amara added that she wants to be an astronaut as well.
"For context my daughter wants to be both president and an astronaut," Meena wrote on Twitter.
For context my daughter wants to be both president and an astronaut
— Meena Harris (@meenaharris) November 5, 2020
Meena, the mother of two girls, is a children’s book author, activist and founder of the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign. She credits Harris, her aunt, for serving as a role model.
"She’s always encouraged me to run for office, but she never pressured me, and she also let me know that I could make an impact in other ways," Meena told NBC News. "And, of course none of us can do everything, but we all have the responsibility to do something."
The author said she has been raised by "descendants of immigrants, civil rights activists and strong women who broke glass ceilings."
“My grandma always taught us, ‘Don't let anyone tell you who you are, you tell them who you are,’ and I love how my aunt made that a part of her introduction to voters when she was nominated for vice president," Meena said.
Earlier this week, Meena posted a clip of her daughters hugging their great-aunt who they'd been seeing for the first time this year.
"They haven’t seen her in person since last year," Meena wrote.
The mother of two said Harris has always made it a priority to celebrate the family’s history, highlighting their culture and food while emphasizing the long line of powerful women who have built the foundation.
“We are nothing without our ancestors, and we honor the rich history of those who came before us by proudly carrying their legacy forward," Meena told NBC News. "She often reminds me that nothing matters more than family, and no matter how busy she is on the campaign trail or otherwise, she will always make time for us, even if it’s getting in a quick FaceTime.”
Raising her own daughters, Meena said she's passing down the lessons she learned from her elders.
"Now that my partner and I are raising a social justice family of our own, we’re doing everything we can to provide the same experience, instill the same lessons, and lift up the same kinds of role models," the activist said. "Likewise, my aunt Kamala takes very seriously her role as a great aunt in helping to shape my daughters."
As Blavity previously reported, Harris penned a letter to Black women on Monday, highlighting the pivotal role of Black female voters in the 2020 presidential election.
“Black women hold the power in this election. So we need to talk to everybody in our lives, including young people, to encourage them to vote,” the 56-year-old wrote in an op-ed for Essence magazine. “We need to get our families, our neighbors, our whole villages to the polls.”
The Democratic vice presidential nominee also paid tribute to the trailblazers who came before her.
“Generations of Black women marched and organized and fought to give us this right…knowing that, one day, Black women would be a force in our democracy,” she said.
