“Vote Blue.” 

“Trump out of office by any means!”

“Straight ticket Democrat!”

These are some of the statements I have seen online and heard from people in person. Let’s say this happens and the Biden/Harris ticket gets elected, then what? I need people to bring that same energy they brought calling out Trump and Pence to hold Biden and Harris accountable if they are elected president and vice president of the United States of America. 

After the election is not the time to get prepared. We need to become informed now, so we know what to demand if they are elected.

There are still some unanswered questions leftover from  Harris’ presidential nomination run. For one, while she served as San Francisco’s attorney general she instituted an anti-truancy program that went so far as to threaten parents with jail time and fines in an effort to decrease student absenteeism. If Harris was willing to implement a program like this, then it’s fair in our current climate to press her on her position on school-to-prison pipeline, police in schools as well as student absenteeism, especially when families of color are primarily penalized. 

The second thing we need to consider is, how will she continue to hold her running mate accountable? During the democratic debates, Harris called Biden out on his stance about federal versus local control when it came to desegregation busing. Biden’s stance is that it should be a local decision. Harris explained that some local leadership would have never implemented desegregation busing without federal government involvement. 

The issue was personal to Harris since she was bused to another school as a child. Proximity to white children should not be seen as an answer to the achievement of students of color, but it will be interesting to see if Harris can push Biden to use the federal government when necessary to help outcomes for all children and not allow him to pass the responsibility to local governments.

August 11 is a historical moment. The first Black and Indian American candidate has been selected as the vice presidential candidate. However, we can’t let history-making moments distract us from not asking the tough questions and holding leaders accountable when it comes to educating our children.

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