Latina Equal Pay Day, Oprah Stacey Abrams, Gayle King: Broadsheet November 1

• ‘Each one, pull one.’ One reoccurring theme in the conversations Fortune had with the congresswomen elected in the 1992 “Year of the Woman” was the frustration, or even regret, that their many firsts—the first African-American woman senator, the first Latina to serve in Congress—didn’t lead to more seconds, more thirds, more fourths. Fast forward a quarter century and that fear—that progress could stall or regress—is still very real.

That same sentiment is evident in this story about Sen. Kamala Harris (D–Calif.), only the second black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate, who’s abiding by her mother’s wise words: “Kamala, you may be the first to do many things. Make sure you are not the last.” In real terms, that’s resulted in Harris building a rather impressive coast-to-coast network of up-and-coming candidates and elected officials. She is, as New York Magazine puts it, “quietly prioritiz[ing] supporting a sprawling group of young people of color running for office,” a group that includes San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams, and Georgia Congressional candidate Lucy McBath.

Networking events have proven to be incredibly beneficial to professional women, and recall, as Kristen mentioned yesterday, that a lack of connections may be one factor contributing to female candidates’ fundraising gap when compared to men.

Harris, meanwhile, frames her network building and mentorship efforts as “a duty.”

“There’s a saying in the community where I grew up: Each one, pull one,’” Harris told the magazine. “The idea being that—you know, it’s self-explanatory. Each one, pull one. You get there, and you pull others up with you.”

The initiative, of course, carries an upside for Harris, who’s considered a potential 2020 presidential contender. “People are cynical,” she said at the suggestion of ulterior motives. But there’s no denying that weaving a country-wide web of loyal “Harris endorsees” is not without its advantages. 
New York Magazine

Credit: Fortune

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