When Senator Kamala Harris said, "I am speaking" during a debate after her male opponent interrupted her, it was a significant moment for women. Why?
A George Washington University study found that when men were in conversations with women, they interrupted 33 percent more often than they did when talking with men. Women are not only interrupted but also talked over and receive unasked for advice from men in a phenomenon known as "mansplaining."
As Kamala Harris prepares to step into a role no woman before has taken on, I was anxious to see how the Biden/Harris team would move forward to create a diverse administration with women in key roles. If the new White House Communications Team is any indication, they're off to a great, if somewhat slow start.
The Communications team is made up entirely of women - a diverse group of women - all of whom have the credentials, experience and vision to move the country forward.
Biden also plans to nominate a woman as Treasury Secretary. Janet Yellen is a widely respected expert who is the former chair of the Federal Reserve. If appointed, Yellen will be the first woman Treasury Secretary of the U.S.
Biden expects to announce his economic team this week which is said to include Cecilia Rouse, a Black economist at Princeton University and Neera Tanden, currently the CEO of the Center for American Progress.
After a somewhat slow start toward diversity, the Biden/Harris administration is on track to put women at the forefront. I hope this is the beginning of a new place for women - one where we don't have to say "I am speaking" to be heard, but a place where we are listened to without having to fight for the chance.