Early in January, the Biden Inaugural Committee put out a call on social media asking for children to write a letter to our VP-Elect Kamala Harris. I promptly bookmarked the tweet and asked all three of my children if they would write to her. My reasoning was simple. This is history in the making. VP-Elect Harris will be the first woman, first black woman and first Indian American woman to hold one of the highest positions in this country. I am excited for her as I am for this country and I want my children to participate in the moment in their own way.

Only Laddu heeded my call. She thought about what she wanted to write, took a day and then wrote the above letter to our VP-Elect. I posted it on Twitter and emailed the address mentioned in the original tweet. Then, diligently, each morning she would ask if Ms. Harris replied to her letter. I was amused and proud of her interest in following up. I sat her down and explained to her that lots of kids like her probably wrote letters and perhaps the VP-Elect would get to read them, even if she did, she would not have the time to reply as she had to help President-Elect run our country.

Then, on January 13th, late in the evening, I received an email that literally had me shrieking with joy. It was the digital director for the VP-Elect reaching out to say that Sahana’s letter was chosen to be answered to on a video. I scrambled to get a video of Laddu reading the letter she had written to send to the team. The euphoria lasted a while and then tamped down as the days passed.

Our young leaders fuel me with hope for a better tomorrow. #LettersToKamalapic.twitter.com/jYnndIjO3R

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 19, 2021

Today, the video is out. I am proud of this child who wrote a letter to her Vice President Elect and expected a reply. It is a reminder for me to aim high and assume it will work out because, just sometimes, it does.

Politics #LettersToKamala Laddu Mom's Pride Politics