Regardless of whether or not you believe Donald Trump is fit to run the country there's one thing you can't deny; this election was definitely one for the history books.
Everyone has been so caught up in all the protesting and playing the blame game that we've overlooked the history that has been made. Led by a powerful, fierce group of women, these people deserve a round of applause. So I'd like to take this moment to shout out the true MVPs of the 2016 election:
1. Kamala Harris
First up is California Attorney General Kamala Harris. Harris just became the first black senator from the state of California and she is only the second black woman to ever serve in the senate. Harris makes double history because of her mixed Jamaican and Indian race. She also just became the first Indian-American senator. Although Hillary Clinton gave it her best shot, many believe that it is Harris who is poised to be the first female president.
2. Pramila Jayapal
Representing again for us brown girls is Washington Democrat Pramila Jayapal. She was elected as the first Indian-American woman to hold a seat in the House of Representatives. A teenage immigrant to the United States, Jayapal has since devoted her time to the advocacy of immigrants and refugees who live in the US.
3. Stephanie Murphy
Swing state Florida has been catching some heat lately from Clinton supporters but they may have redeemed themselves. They just elected Stephanie Murphy as the first Vietnamese-American woman to Congress. Murphy was the first woman in her family to go to college so girlfriend has been blazing her own trail for a while now.
4. Catherine Cortez Masto
Catherine Cortez Masto became the first Latina senator in US history. This is so important because Latinos in general have been targeted during this election, specifically by Donald Trump during his campaign. Masto hails from Mexican immigrants so you can bet no wall will be built if she has anything to say about it.
5. Kate Brown
Leave it up to Oregon to elect the first openly LGBTQ governor. It's really not surprising given the massive amount of hipsters that migrate there but nevertheless, Kate Brown is knocking down barriers as an openly bisexual governor.
6. Tim Scott
After being previously appointed to fill in for retiring Sen. Jim DeMint, Senator Tim Scott was elected to the full, 6-year term as a junior Senator from South Carolina. This marks the first winning campaign of a Black Senator in the south since the Reconstruction. We're talking since the 1800s ya'll. Plus he's a black Republican, which let's be real, finding one of those is more rare than a Big Foot sighting so this is kind of a big deal.
7. Ilhan Omar
Ilhan Omar was elected as the first Somali-American, Muslim female legislator. Omar has been striving for women leadership for years. She's the director of policy at Women Organizing Women Network, which focuses on East African women into civic leadership positions and she just so happens to be a former refugee. If that's not the epitome of slayage then I don't know what is.
8. Donald Trump
Yes, Trump is included in this list. Why? Because even as controversial and shocking as his campaign and victory may be, he still made history and changed the game. Trump is the oldest president-elect to be inaugurated at the ripe old age of 70. He's the first president to not have a previous military background or served as a government official and one might argue that he qualifies as America's first orange president. That alone make him perfect for this list.
9. Hillary Clinton
Finally, I conclude this list with none other than Hillary Rodham Clinton. Yes, Hill has her faults but one thing is for certain; hell hath no fury like the "Notorious HRC." Not only was she the first presidential spouse to run for the office of the president herself, but as the first woman to be nominated for president by a major party, Clinton was ready to usher America into the future and give the country something we had never seen before; the first female president.
Politics is a very male-dominated arena so the fact that Hillary came this close to the oval office is a magnificent feat in and of itself. Though she lost the election, it still doesn't change the fact that Clinton has been a source of inspiration for women everywhere. She got us a little bit closer to breaking that glass ceiling and showing us that women can lead and there's nothing wrong with a strong, powerful woman who kicks ass and takes names.
A lot of history was made during this election and I think we all need to just take a deep breath, quit our bitching and give these people the recognition they deserve.
