Our little family is currently living in London, but we head back to the US in a few years – and the recent election news makes us way more excited to return. Faiz was born in 2019, during a Trump Presidency. The guy who’s rhetoric made it feel scary to raise a minority child in the US. And, now, here we are – about to bring our daughter into the world, with a female Vice President, who’s own Indian mom used to wear South Asian attire, just like the women in my family. What a different feeling. 

I’ve been in awe of Kamala Harris ever since she defended the sexual assault survivor, Christine Ford, at the Brett Kavanaugh trial, with the utmost compassion and confidence, empowering another woman to speak her truth. I love that in her speeches since, she makes it about others as well. She shares her victory with all the women who fight alongside her, who fought before, and who will come after. As for Biden, I remember loving his performance in the 2012 VP debate against Paul Ryan, where Ryan said he was pro-life and how wonderful he felt when he heard his children’s heartbeats. Joe Biden, pro-choice, responded that he also would not personally prefer abortion, because of his faith, but it’s not his place to tell impose his beliefs on other women. The empathy and kindness that he speaks with reflects his humanity.

After years of seeing direct impacts of Trumps rhetoric and policies negatively impact people in my networks (i.e., refugees, Persians, Latinas, children, among others), the new leadership reflects a commitment to diversity inclusion, science, healthcare, climate change, a woman’s right to choose, AND they finish complete sentences. For when we move back to the US, I already feel safer raising my children in a country like this. As Muslim, second generation, Pakistani-Americans – but, more importantly, as empathetic, empowered, and good humans.