by Alexandra Lally Peters, We the People Person
When her parents asked her what she wanted for her birthday, Naomi answered, “I want to help Kamala Harris win.”
Naomi’s birthday is on Election Day, but she doesn’t want presents. She says she has enough of everything she needs. Naomi is my granddaughter, and I can assure you that when I was in fourth grade, what I wanted was toys. Lots of them. But Naomi has set up a site on ActBlue, with some help from her parents, where she hoped to be able to raise, she told me, “A few hundred dollars to elect Kamala as President.”
That was last night, but she was amazed as within hours, she had raised thousands. It strikes a chord, a kid’s willingness to forgo her own presents for something where she will not see a personal benefit.
“Kamala gives me inspiration,” Naomi told me. “It’s really cool seeing her try to become President. Now people look up to women more. It’s not just like men rule. Many girls like me are very empowered and hopeful and I’ll be very happy if a girl wins. That will be a real birthday present.”
The extraordinary lift that has occurred since Kamala Harris has taken leadership of the Democratic party has affected women of all ages, but I will admit that I had not understood how deeply we women, even fourth graders, yearn for role models.
I asked her who her role models were, expecting her to tell me that it was her mother and her other grandmother and (ahem) me.
“Susan B. Anthony,” she said. “Marie Curie, Amelia Earheart.”
“Susan B. Anthony?” Did I know who Susan B. Anthony was when I was in fourth grade?
“Susan B. wanted women to be able to vote. She was an activist. She tried to get other rights for women. I might want to be an activist when I grow up. It’s one of the options I might have.”
“You’re already an activist,” I said. “And who else?” Ever hopeful.
“Simone Biles, Emma Watson and Taylor Swift. Olivia Rodrigo. Sacajawea.”
Okay, Sacajawea - we discussed the pronunciation - the Shoshone woman on the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1805, is a personal heroine of mine too.
“You know she mostly led the travel across the country,” Naomi said. “She was a teenage girl who walked all the way on foot with a baby on her back. She was good at being the leader. She was smart. She didn’t know the exact way, but she spotted things in nature, she was patient, she saw ways to go.”
Excellent points. But then Naomi, who had not watched the Democratic National Convention and heard speeches, blew me away by continuing, “Kamala is making a path for women. She’s a combination of all the women I admire and she’s going to be a leader like them, who stands up for people.”
I know this girl so well but her assuredness took me aback.
“Wow,” I said. “A path for women? You should be a speechwriter. But what if she doesn’t win?”
“Look,” she said, perhaps a little impatient, “I still think people will be empowered because she ran. She is very brave to run. You know there has never been a woman President before, right? And especially not a black woman, and she just jumped right into it. That’s why I want to raise money.”
Fantastic. “But what does the money in your fundraising campaign do?” I asked.
“That money goes right into Kamala's campaign, to make sure people vote for her,” she said, “It’s my birthday gift to America.”
She actually said that. I went back to Naomi’s fundraising site and added some money for Kamala, who is the kind of leader who is already inspiring young girls to act selflessly and believe in their own empowered future.
You too can add to Naomi’s birthday gift for America by supporting Kamala’s campaign HERE.
Thank you.
Love this post! Kamala Harris running for President and, hopefully, winning, is one of the most powerful ways to build girl leadership development!!! 👍👍
This is a wonderful story. I am going to see my granddaughter tonight - it's her birthday, too. We are going to talk about the election. And I will make a donation for her birthday as well!