Vice President Kamala Harris Brings a Message for Native Youth at White House Tribal Nations Summit

Before taking the stage, Harris met with a group of young Native American youth in the audience. She shared that she had offered them sage guidance, describing the conversation as a "lecture" in which she imparted valuable advice on resilience, strength, and perseverance. 

“One of the things I said to them is that your leadership and your voice is so important, and we are so proud of you. And I said to them something everyone here knows: many times you will be the only one that looks like you in a room, be it a boardroom, a lecture hall, a meeting room, a congressional hearing. You may be the only one that looks like you in that room,” the vice president said. “But you always remember you are not in that room alone, that we are all in that room with you, and that when you walk in that room, we expect and demand that you will walk in that room chin up, shoulders back, carrying the voices of all of us who are so proud that you are there and are counting on you to lead.”

She went on to explain that today’s young leaders are “rightly impatient,” something the Vice President mentioned many times during her presidential campaign rally speeches. 

“They [the youth] are not waiting for someone else to lead. They are prepared to lead.”