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Harris Picks Purple for Oath, Here's Why It's Significant

The colour purple for Harris is a tribute to Shirley Chisholm, who was the first African-American woman in America to run for president.

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Kamala Harris Swearing In, kamala harris purple dress

Kamala Harris is America's first female, first Black and first South Asian vice president. Harris whose father was Jamaican and mother, Indian picked purple as her outfit for the inauguration. Here's why it's significant. The colour purple for Harris is a tribute to Shirley Chisholm, who was the first African-American woman in America to run for president.

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The iconic Chisholm was also a former Democratic Caucus Vice-Chairman of the United States House of Representatives. Chisholm famously said, "you don't make progress by standing on the sidelines."

According of CNN's Abby Phillip, wearing purple "something pretty significant" to Harris. Phillip adds, "When she ran for president, one of her colors of her campaign was purple and yellow. That is a nod to Shirley Chisholm who ran for president as a black woman decades ago and has inspired her political career."

 
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Purple or Chisholm is not new to Harris' campaign. When she chose to go out there and announce her Democratic nomination for American president, she wore purple too.

The Democrat from California also chose Martin Luther King Jr. Day to launch her candidacy as an effort to make parallels with Chisholm's 1972 presidential campaign. Chisholm was the first black woman elected to Congress.

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According to Harper’s Bazaar, “Purple is typically meant to represent bipartisanship—a clear cornerstone of the new administration after four years of divisiveness.”

Kamala Harris is wearing purple as a nod to the first Black woman to run for president - CNN

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An earlier image of Kamala Harris wearing purple announcing her candidacy

Purple seems to have been the colour of the inauguration day. Michelle Obama trended on social media for her deep mauve and purple outfit by Sergio Hudson for Biden-Harris inauguration day. Hudson is a women's ready-to-wear label designed and produced entirely in Los Angeles. Harris' purple outfit was by Christopher John Rogers.

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Colours and clothes aside, it was a day of all women stars. From Kamala Harris to Amanda Gorman, Dr Jill Biden, Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Justice Sotomayer, JLo and more. 

Kamala Harris
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