Prairie View A&M students say Kamala Harris is shining new light on HBCUs
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (KTRK) -- Kamala Harris' swearing-in ceremony was celebrated in many different ways in the Houston area.
HBCUs across the country along with Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority members held virtual events and shared their excitement with the world as one of their own now holds one of the highest positions in America.
"There are not enough words to describe the way that I feel today," said LaShonda Williams, a fellow AKA member.
Students at Prairie View A&M University along with staff describe the event as "being on cloud nine."
To them, Vice President Kamala Harris, a graduate of Howard University in D.C., made it big, and many believe she's taking many underrepresented groups with her.
"To have that moment puts that light on us and says, 'HBCUs are amazing. HBCUs produce productive individuals,' so it's exciting to see ... to allow mainstream America to see that HBCU graduate in that position, as the Vice President of the United States."
Prairie View held a virtual watch party on Wednesday for the inauguration events. Among the crowd, many were seen wearing Harris' signature pearls-and-Converse combo, a look she's worn in Congress and on her more casual campaign trail. It's also considered a nod to her AKA sorority.
READ ALSO: Texas Southern University students celebrate historical Inauguration Day
In addition to making history, Inauguration Day was a big day for women and young girls.
"It was time for a woman, and with it being right now, it was perfect timing," said Gregory Bowens, the vice president of the PVAMU Student Government Association. "Having a woman to look up to is just as equal as having a man, and I think with her being in office now, it also gives an 'oomph' to [men] as well. Not only women ... it lifts all of us up."
Meanwhile, Harris' sorority sisters in the Houston-area say they couldn't be more proud.
"The women of Alpha Kappa Alpha are taught to lead by service, and service for all of mankind, and speaking with my line sisters has been a wonderful time for us to reflect on our experiences and how our values are being reflected in what's going to be the white house," said Williams.
For those who said they felt HBCUs were "counted out," Harris' new role is shining a new light on those institutions.
"We are incubators for successors," said a student. "We have so many graduates who go on to do amazing things, so to have an HBCU graduate as the Vice President of the United States puts credit on my degree that I'm going to receive from Prairie View A&M University."
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