The Postindustrial Podcast, Episode 7, the Kamala Harris effect, women of influence, and more

Tory N. Parrish is a reporter working for Newsday on Long Island, N.

Tory N. Parrish is a reporter who covers retail and small business at Newsday on Long Island, N.Y.  Before moving to New York in 2017, she spent seven years as a reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.  She’s a native of Woodbridge, Va.

You’re working on a story for Postindustrial magazine about the impact that women have had in postindustrial America in recent months, particularly as it pertains to COVID and the changing face of America amidst these racial injustice protests. What was your reaction to the choice of Kamala Harris as Biden’s vice presidential pick?

She’s a strong choice. I think it was kind of expected that Kamala Harris would be the pick because of her background in Congress, attorney general of California, and she had already risen to prominence when she campaigned for president and she held her own during the debates [in 2019]. And she really stepped forward in that arena. She’s a strong choice.

Someone like Kamala Harris is not going to be the magical elixir to erase all gender stereotypes and discrimination — but will it get us a step further?

I hope it does….but it’s not going to erase racism [anymore] than Barack Obama’s election [did]. If anything, I think Barack Obama’s election fueled more racism, and more hate by people who were unhappy that he was elected in the first place and that the policies he put in place to promote equality. I think it made more people angry. I’m a reporter; so I can’t give my opinion on this say that it helped fuel Trump’s election because of people who were unhappy with Obama’s policies, whether Kamala Harris, if she’s elected, it’s not going to wipe out all racism. But I think she serves as a role model to a lot of little girls, a lot of women, a lot of young women of what is possible. Her story is aspirational. And I think that’s good that can come out of it.