Kamala Harris, Senator of California and former top-tier Democratic candidate in the 2020 presidential election, announced the termination of her campaign this past Tuesday, nearly two weeks away from the sixth Democratic debate. And despite a muddled political past, a drop in polling numbers, and the all-too-frequent blunders, it still came as a shock to many that Harris had surrendered her position earlier than predicted.

"In good faith," Harris said in a video posted online following confirmation of the drop, "I cannot tell you, my supporters and volunteers, that I have a path forward if I don't believe I do."

While Harris stirred up controversy within the liberal community on some of her former and existing policies, the progress that she made as a woman of color, who came so close to the presidential primaries, cannot be ignored-- especially when, without her, the December debate could very well be an all-white stage.

The news came after Harris admitted to having insufficient funds to continue, telling her supporters that she is not a billionaire and cannot fund her own campaign, in turn finding it increasingly hard to raise adequate funds. This lack of support, however, was not a problem at the beginning of the race, as her articulate, sharp-witted arguments and her strong, emotional background garnered her the admiration of many. Even though she was a qualified and successful woman in politics, she had an even more understanding of current issues as a woman of color, daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, becoming a trailblazer of sorts with her presidential campaign's immediate success.

Yet, while topics became more demanding, opponents more aggressive, and detailed plans more expected, Harris's campaign began to flounder.

The appealing facade began to diminish as Harris's history as San Francisco's district attorney to California's attorney general came to light. The truth of her progress circulated, and soon, many knew of how Harris's record was tainted with wrongful convictions that were later defended through blatant misconduct, among other things including a blurred stance on the death penalty, advocacy for anti-truancy laws, and the support of an argument that prisoners could not be released in protection of prison laborer numbers.

The big hit? These actions significantly harmed people of color. And just like that, the brand that she had created, which became the basis of her campaign, was unraveled.

It did not matter much if you had researched Harris further than the debates and social media because pretty soon, candidate Tulsi Gabbard used this very information to attack Harris on the debate stage.

"The bottom line is, when you were in a position to make a difference and an impact in these people's lives, you did not and worse yet in the case of those who are on death row, innocent people, you actually blocked evidence from being revealed that would have freed them until you were forced to do so," said Gabbard. "There's no excuse for that and the people who suffered under your reign as prosecutor — you owe them an apology."

To this, Kamala Harris had no legitimate answer to defend herself and her actions. Unlike her other statements made on the stage, her answers were weak and confused.

It didn't stop there, though. Harris's answers became more and more noticeably confused, as her vague answers stopped cutting it and her positions began to shift from what they were just months prior. Her stance on single-payer healthcare with no room for private insurances suddenly became a place for private insurance to continue to prosper.

Joe Biden, the leading contender, pointed this out to her at one of the debates, saying, "You can't beat President Trump with double talk on this plan," to which Harris replied with, "Unfortunately, Vice President Biden, you're just simply inaccurate in what you're describing."

She continued this pattern of offering no legitimate explanation or reaction to her faults that people began to question. And she lost sight of her political identity continuously during the race, sometimes being liberal and sometimes playing towards the moderate voters-- eventually turning both of them off to herself.

Needless to say, most saw Harris's drop coming at some point. Yet many, despite not backing her politically, expressed sadness to see her go, as her campaign in and of itself challenged the restrictions placed upon people of color and inspired many others to continue fighting for the redefinition of what a president should be. The reality is, black women are one of, if not the most marginalized group of people in the U.S. Her progress is unlike any other candidates'-- she has had to fight significantly harder than the other candidates to compete against many more obstacles. We, as Americans, should not overlook any of this. Regardless of her policies, Harris is and will continue to be an inspiration for going against the odds and fighting a fight that the American society has ignored for far too long.

And, as she has made very clear, she will not stop pushing these limits.

"Let's keep fighting for the America we believe in," she said in her departure video. "An America free of injustice, an America that we know can be unburdened by what has been."

I, as well as many others, look forward with hope to see what she does next.