To the editor: Vice President Kamala Harris' acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention brought to mind the tightrope all women must walk.
Women should be strong without being aggressive; bold, but not strident; brave, but not impulsive; attractive, but not vain; intelligent, but not snobbish; visionary, but not frivolous; strong, but still feminine; affectionate, but not submissive; tender, but not weak; and, above all, powerful without being domineering.
She accomplished all of this, and more importantly, she did it without appearing to be on a tightrope at all.
Leslie's stem, Gardena
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To the editor: I'm excited about Harris's potential presidency, but I was a little disappointed that she made little mention of climate change in her nomination speech.
Climate change will cause major disruptions to the global economy, mass migration and war. When will we begin to address the problem with the urgency it requires?
Governments have been talking about the issue of climate change due to the fossil fuel industry, which represents a real threat to the survival of future generations.
I wish Harris had given this issue the attention it deserves.
Linda Shabsin, Diamond Bar
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To the editor: Today, the United States has only one major political party: the Democratic Party. Former President Trump has a cult movement, not a political party in the tradition of Lincoln's Republican Party.
This couldn’t have been clearer when Trump walked into the Republican convention last month to give his acceptance speech. Behind him, as he entered, there was no animated American flag (although there were a few flags off to the side). The only image was the huge illuminated “TRUMP” flag.
This is not an American political party. How sad for American democracy.
Carl Martz, Redlands
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To the editor: I am a grandmother of two girls born in 2015. When they were just 4 years old, I started telling them about this amazing US Senator from California who was also a Blindian like them.
They were smart enough, having grown up in a household rife with political conversations, to understand the significance of a woman with a shared mixed racial identity — Black and Indian — being elected vice president in 2020.
Unlike Harris, her mother is the daughter of Indian immigrants and her father is a black veteran. But the inspiration for blended families, and especially for women, the blind and other mixed-race groups, is simply phenomenal.
I am committed to doing everything I can to provide my granddaughters with the reality of a blind person being the next resident of the White House.
Kiran Saluja, walnut
