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u.s. news Diamars 10 November 2020

Kamala Harris win inspires women and girls nationwide

(AP) — When Ashley hope is that Jordan grows up speech Saturday, it was a full
Richardson-George’s thinking this is normal.” circle moment for the Black
5-year-old daughter saw A similar scene played out in mother and daughter.
Kamala Harris wearing a Phoenix, Arizona in Nicol
white suffragette suit dur- Russell’s home. “My daughter is going to be
ing her prime-time vic- As Harris stepped onto the a part of history because she
tory speech on Saturday, stage, Russell’s 5-year-old had the opportunity to have
she ran into her room and daughter Makena and her a conversation with our first
came back minutes later best friend immediately Black woman vice president,”
wearing a white dress and sprang up and ran to the Otis said. “It just shows you
sweater. TV. For minutes, they stood how important representa-
transfixed. tion is.”
Not only did her daughter, “She’s brown like my mom,”
Andrea, want to be like the Makena told her friend. In Fairbanks, Alaska, Trina
Vice President-elect, she For Russell, a Black and Na- Bailey and her 13-year-old
wanted to look like her, too. tive Hawaiian woman, Har- daughter, Leilah, sat arm-in-
And on that night, it was ris' election has profound arm on the couch watching
more possible than ever. meaning not just as it relates Harris' speech. It was a mo-
“I was just really happy for an intersectional lens on ev- woman in this office, I will to her daughter but to herself ment of hope and mourn-
her because you really don’t erything this administration not be the last,” Harris said as well. ing as Bailey reflected on the
believe that you can be any- does from a gender or race in her first post-election ad- “In watching her, I see my Black women she loves who
thing that you want unless lens,” said Glynda Carr, the dress to the nation. Los An- sisters, I see my mother. I see never had the chance to step
you see it,” said Richardson- president and CEO of High- geles mother Kim Rincon every hard-working Black or on a stage like that.
George of New York. “So for er Heights, which focuses on sat with her arm around her brown woman," Russell said.
her, she was like, ‘I can be electing Black women into 9-year-old daughter, Jordan, "I see Stacey Abrams. I see “I believe Black women be-
the president.’ So to see that political offices. to watch the speech. Queen Liliuokalani. I see all long in all places where deci-
glimmer in her eyes as a par- the women who endured so sions are being made,” said
ent, it really is powerful to Harris, a 56-year-old Cali- A year ago, Rincon and Jor- many terrible things to help Bailey, who is Black herself.
me as her mom.” fornia senator who is the dan had met Harris backstage clear a pathway for us to have “Today, that’s Senator Kama-
For countless women and first Black woman and the at a rally during her bid for this moment. She symbolizes la Harris. Tomorrow, it’s my
girls, Harris' achievement of first person of South Asian president in the 2020 Demo- everything we’ve been work- daughter, Leilah Bailey.”
reaching the second highest descent elected to the vice cratic primaries. Jordan gave ing for.”
office in the country repre- presidency, has long credited Harris the “Kamala for Presi- Leilah, who wants to be pres-
sents hope, validation and civil rights legends like Shir- dent” button she was wear- Flint, Michigan resident ident one day, said Harris’
the shattering of a prover- ley Chisholm, Mary McLeod ing before Harris crouched Egypt Otis and her 9-year-old speech made her confident
bial glass ceiling that has kept Bethune and Fannie Lou to the ground to thank her at daughter Eva Allen met Har- her dream is possible.
mostly white men perched Hamer as sources of inspi- eye level. ris in September when she
at the top tiers of American ration, as well as her Indian stopped by Otis' bookstore, “Young girls are feeling like
government. mother, Shyamala Gopalan. “Harris was being celebrated Comma Bookstore & Social they are able to do more than
On Saturday, she paid tribute as this superstar at that rally Hub, during a campaign trip they thought they were able
“She’s literally the blueprint to the women, particularly and now on stage accept- focused on Black communi- to,” Leilah said. “I felt amaz-
to women’s political pos- Black women, who paved the ing the vice presidency,” ties across the battleground ing because it made me feel
sibility and now she is step- way for her. said Rincon, whose daugh- state. like I had a chance to do
ping literally into the Oval ter is Mexican and Vietnam- So when Allen and Otis things that mostly men have
Office and she’s going to put “While I may be the first ese American. “My biggest watched Harris’ historic done.”

Estonia’s far-right minister resigns over Biden remarks

(AP) — Estonia’s far-right Martin, who is the country's massive scale.” News Service.
interior minister, Mart finance minister. They also
Helme, resigned Monday, discussed a hypothetical sce- On Facebook Sunday, Es- The comments are seen as
a day after he called Pres- nario of a U.S. civil war after tonian Prime Minister Juri highly embarrassing to Es-
ident-elect Joe Biden and the election result. Ratas urged the pair to stop tonia, a small former Soviet
his son Hunter “corrupt issuing unsubstantiated state- republic of 1.3 million and a
characters” without pro- U.S. President Donald ments that he said damage European Union and NATO
viding further details or Trump "will win eventually. Estonian and U.S. bilateral member that is a staunch ally
evidence. It will happen as a result of relations. Ratas congratulated of Washington.
an immense struggle, maybe Biden and stressed the U.S. In a statement issued Mon-
“Last night I decided to resign even bloodshed but justice elections were “fair, free and day, Ratas said that “In the
(when) looking at the slander will win in the end,” Mart transparent.” current situation, Mart
and lies produced by the Es- Helme told the TRE radio The populist EKRE, which Helme’s resignation is the
tonian media,” said Helme, station according to local me- Helme co-founded and has only way for the government
of the Estonian Conservative dia. an anti-immigrant and anti- to continue its work, includ-
People’s Party, or EKRE. EU agenda, emerged from a ing foreign policy goals.”
“I am tired. I did nothing “There is no question that March 2019 election as Esto- Martin Helme, 44, and his
yesterday that would endan- these elections were falsi- nia’s third-largest party. father Mart, 71, have been has insisted that his father’s
ger Estonia’s security. I have fied,” Martin Helme said in embroiled in various political interview was mistranslated,
not said anything that has the interview, according to On Monday, Martin Helme scandals in past few years due and Mart Helme has denied
not already been told by the Estonian news portal Delfi told reporters that what he to their controversial pub- being homophobic.
American media, the Ameri- and national broadcaster said was what "the whole of lic comments. In October, Last year, Mart Helme called
can free media,” he told pub- ERR. “I believe all nor- the U.S. media is saying. The Mart Helme told German Estonia’s first female presi-
lic broadcaster ERR. mal people should speak up press (in Estonia) is not tell- broadcaster Deutsche Welle dent, Kersti Kaljulaid, an
against it. There is no point ing the Estonian people what that marriage should only “emotionally heated wom-
He made the remarks on in talking about democracy the entire American media is be a union between a man an” for walking out during
Sunday in an Estonian ra- or rule of law in a situation saying, but I did it — election and a woman and suggested the swearing-in of a Cabinet
dio show which interviewed where elections can be faked fraud,” the younger Helme that gay couples should go minister accused of domestic
both Mart Helme and his son so plainly, boldly and on a said, according to the Baltic to Sweden. Martin Helme violence.