IT WAS THE FIRST WEEK OF JULY. News of the presidential election had been mired, for eight days, in alarming assessments of Joe Biden after his disastrous debate with Donald Trump. The president had started but not finished sentences, slurred words and at points stood with his mouth slightly agape.
Now, at the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans, Kamala Harris was set to speak. The attendees - mostly Black women - were talking about the possibilities: did her future lie at the top of the Democratic party's ticket?
"Who is Kamala Harris?" host Caroline Wanga asked her guest. "The vice-president of the United States," Harris responded. "I am a wife. We have children. I am a god-mommy. I am an auntie. I am a best friend. I am a good cook... and you know, I am a fighter for people. I am prepared to fight."
Until late July, Harris had been the running mate of the oldest man to seek the presidency. Today, the nation's first Black and south Asian and female vice-president, once characterised as a public official struggling to find her footing, is a presidential candidate with a narrow lead over her opponent, Donald Trump.
Last Thursday night, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, she formally accepted the party's presidential nomination with a sweeping, pointed speech in which she vowed to prosecute the case against Trump and carry the country to a brighter and fairer future. In an address that balanced optimism with scathing criticism of her opponent, Harris acknowledged her "unlikely" path to the nomination and extended her hand to voters of all political ideologies.
"Our nation, with this election, has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past, a chance to chart a new way forward - not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans," she said.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
If kids get protected from online harm, how about the rest of us?
The Australian government has proposed a ban on social media for all citizens under 16.
'It's not drought - it's looting'
Spain is increasingly either parched or flooded - and one group is profiting from these extremes: the thirsty multinational companies forcing angry citizens to pay for water in bottles.
Life in the grey Zone
Neonatal care has advanced so far that babies born as early as 21 weeks have survived. But is this type of care always the right thing to do?
Out of tune? Band Aid under fire for Africa tropes as it turns 40
Forty years ago this month, a group of pop stars gathered at a west London studio to record a single that would raise millions, inspire further starry projects, and ultimately change charity fundraising in the UK.
Deaths shine spotlight on risks of drinking on party trail
Vang Vieng is an unlikely party hub. Surrounded by striking limestone mountains and caves in central Laos, it morphed from a small farming town to a hedonistic tourist destination in the early 2000s.
Different strokes My strange and emotional week with an AI pet
Moflin can develop a personality and build a rapport with its owner - and doesn't need food or exercise. But is it comforting or alienating?
Strike zone Waking up to the rising threat of lightning
When the Barbados National Archives, home to one of the world's most significant collections of documents from the transatlantic slave trade, reported in June that it had been struck by lightning, it received sympathy and offers of support locally and internationally.
Cheap pints and sticky carpets: the old-school pub is back
In the Palm Tree pub, east London, barman Alf is taking only cash at the rattling 1960s till.
Brain gain Can a radical tax scheme convince the country's brightest to stay?
In the autumn of 2018, I moved to Lisbon for a month-long course at the Universidade .de Lisboa.
Fear and sympathy in small town divided over asylum camp
A year after anti-immigration riots, a site for asylum seekers faces hostility while some locals try to help new arrivals
