Rep. Leslie Herod Weighs In On Kamala Harris Making History

DENVER (CBS4) – As Vice President Elect Kamala Harris is representing a new face of political power, a Colorado lawmaker who has also broken barriers is proudly speaking out. State Rep. Leslie Herod, of House District 8 in Denver, met with CBS4's Mekialaya White via Zoom to discuss the historic shift in the 2020 election.

"I've got to say, seeing the first female VP of this country be a woman of color, it speaks volumes. Not only to me as a woman of color, but to the soul of this nation and where we want to go," said Herod.

Herod made history herself as the first Black LGBTQ woman elected to the Colorado General Assembly back in 2016. She says, as a Biden-Harris ticket has officially been secured, our nation is moving forward.

"I'm so proud to see it and to be a small part of this change as all of us are because we showed up and voted. The feeling in Denver and throughout Colorado is electric. It is so amazing to see people celebrating together, even though we're in this weird COVID time," Herod said.

Among a divided nation overall, however, Herod admits the path won't always be easy. "We're definitely not done simply because we have a Biden-Harris ticket going into the White House, which is amazing. But I know that this ticket will address it head-on. I know that they will unite and not talk about red and blue but talk about America."

Herod says Harris understands the issues that we want to address as Americans.

"Education, environment and climate justice, reproductive health and healthcare, tackling this pandemic and our recovery. She knows first-hand the insidious effects that laws and policies have had on our country and our communities of color," she explained. "It is our time to redeem ourselves as a country, as America to show who we really are. But we must address these issues of racial division and racial bias and racism as we lead this country."

She hopes remedying these issues will inspire and pave the way for younger generations.

"This time where young women of color, young girls of color, us as women can see ourselves in that position. And say, there are no ceilings we cannot break, we can do it and we will do it together because that's who we are."