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There is much buzz around Joe Biden choosing a female as his running mate for Vice President. If he wins his bid for President of the United States, he will challenge and change the status quo for our nation with the first female serving in this capacity. Can you imagine that it’s 2020 and we have never had a woman serve as Vice President of our country? Those of us who are aware of the critical issues faced by a large portion of hard-working and marginalized Americans, know that his running mate must also be a woman of color.

Selecting a woman of color as his partner in this space is an exciting and necessary next step in addressing the systemic inequities that exist at all levels of our leadership and political systems. Representation really does matter, and although the electoral college cheated us out of breaking the ultimate glass ceiling in electing America’s first female President in 2016, we are ready for female and more diverse leadership at the highest levels of the country.

Our healthcare, education and criminal justice systems are in dire need of reform to actually serve the people instead of condemning them to lack and subjecting them to inequities that invalidate “the American dream” for communities of color. Women bring a different lens to leadership due to an innate ability to build strong relationships leading to collaboration, a consciousness for the well-being of the greater good, and effective communication skills that promote forward progression.

Consider the advancements we can make in these areas if we had the fierceness and truth to power leadership that comes from someone who knows what it’s like to struggle, to be discriminated against, to work hard for a living wage, to access higher education on loans, to purchase a vehicle or home with exorbitant interest rates that you might not be able to keep up with. Thus, is the life of many Americans from diverse backgrounds and communities who need more leaders in positions of power to shed light on the issues plaguing our communities, keeping us undereducated, leading to cycles of poverty and resorting to violence out of frustration and lack of opportunities for advancement.

Note that I’m referring to a need for more leaders and strong leadership demanding change in the nation’s political landscape. We need to turn our political system upside down. The right system would mean that “politicians” are a thing of the past and that individuals are no longer running for office to promote their own agendas or for personal benefit. I want to see more individuals elected to office who will fight for our people, push back on the good ole boys club; who are committed to investing dollars in preventative services to improve the healthcare, education and criminal justice systems. How can we accomplish this?

To begin positively changing dynamics for those facing systemic oppression and racism, this country needs strong, compassionate and transparent leadership. Ideal leaders who can inspire hope and influence real change must be effective communicators who are willing to put aside partisan politics to do what is best for the people. Leaders have to approach everything with a cultural sensitivity lens and consider the needs of our diverse population. Such change demands electing more individuals from communities of color for true representation.

Education Reform Now created the Leaders of Color Initiative (LOC) for that reason, starting with leaders who will advocate and implement change for education equity. LOC recruits and develops Black and brown leaders for public office, providing 70-plus hours of training content, delivered over a span of five months with in-person training weekends that focus on cultivating leadership abilities, building education policy knowledge and honing campaigning skills — all with an equity lens. With chapters in Memphis, New Orleans and New York, so far LOC alumni have worked on 16 distinct campaigns, including Presidential, U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress, State House, City Council and School Board, and 12 are active in campaigns with elections upcoming this year.

True representation breeds change, as evident in the improvements and historic breakthroughs that came with electing our first Black President. When President Barack Obama was in office, we invested in programs, such as My Brother’s Keeper, to empower young men of color, Let’s Move! to promote a healthy lifestyle in children, and we saw advancement for equality through equal pay efforts, LGBTQ+ rights and the elevation of leaders of color in the Administration. While progress was halted and even regressed over the past four years under the current Administration, we can get back on track if we elect Joe Biden for President this November.

Biden cannot do it alone, he needs a strong partner as Vice President; someone who can drive efforts from a place of ensuring access for all, with a goal of equity in resources and services. In light of recent Supreme Court rulings in favor of the LGBTQ+ community and DACA recipients, there seems to be hope for creating a society where people are not discriminated against based on their race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, citizenship status or other identifiers.

We’re living through pivotal times where people are engaging in civil disobedience amidst a global pandemic; every day Americans are pushing against grievous systemic matters and historic discriminatory practices. Biden can keep the current momentum through his choice of candidate for Vice President. There are amazing women of color leading in communities across the country who would be a paragon partner for leading forward progression towards equity.

For those wondering why Joe Biden should choose a woman of color for Vice President, the answer is because it’s time for equity and representation in government. It is time for change!

Dr. Damary Bonilla-Rodriguez

Writing since February 2022 · 1 story contributed