VP Kamala Harris calls to 'kick that f---ing door down’ in speech about breaking barriers
Vice President Kamala Harris gave a speech to young Americans of Asian ancestry, arguing that when they are being cheered on by people like her in their professional pursuits.
Vice President Kamala Harris used profanity during a speech Monday at the annual Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies Legislative Leadership summit.
"We have to know that sometimes people will open the door for you and leave it open. Sometimes they won’t, and then you need to kick that f‑‑‑ing door down," Harris said to a large audience, sparking cheers. "Excuse my language," she added.
Actor and comedian Jimmy O. Yang, who was the moderator on stage, joked, "We gotta make T-shirts with that saying, ‘Kick that f---ing door down!"
Harris, who is of partial Indian heritage herself, gave a spirited speech to the summit, arguing that Asian-Americans must strive to break barriers in the pursuit of political representation.
"Here’s the thing about breaking barriers," Harris said earlier in the speech. "Breaking barriers does not mean you start on one side of the barrier, and you end up on the other side. There’s breaking involved, and when you break things, you get cut, and you may bleed, and it is worth it every time."
Harris continued, "To especially the young people here, I say to you, when you walk in those rooms, being the only one that looks like you, the only one with your background, you walk in those rooms, chin up, shoulders back, be it a meeting room, a boardroom, a courtroom, a hearing room, you walk in those rooms, knowing that we are all in that room with you, applauding you on and expecting certain things from you, including that you will not be silent in those rooms," she said.
"And that we expect that from you because we also expect that you will internalize and know we're there with you," she added. "And so your voice can be strong."
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She went on to quote her mother’s advice about proving oneself rather than being limited by others’ expectations and said, "This is part of what's involved, is that we have to know that sometimes people will open the door for you and leave it open, sometimes they won't. And then you need to kick that f---ing door down."