MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Regardless of whether you're a Republican or Democrat, history was made Tuesday as the first Black woman of South Asian decent was selected to run for Vice President for a major U.S. political party.
Kamala Harris, a wife and mother, is the daughter of immigrants to the U.S. Her father from Jamaica, and her mother is from India.
After graduating from Howard University, an HBCU in Washington DC, where she joined Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Harris rose from assistant district attorney to district attorney in San Francisco to Attorney General for the State of California where she now serves as U.S. Senator from California.
Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner, who is also the president of the Memphis Branch of the NCAACP, says the buzz in the Black community since the announcement reminds him of President Barak Obama's historic run in 2008.
"I was working with the NAACP at the time. We couldn't stop the phones from ringing with individuals trying to register to vote, ex-offenders trying to restore their rights to vote for President Obama," said Turner.
That excitement, Turner believes, could shape history. Historical and surprising to many --and possibly to Harris herself-- hearing the news from from Biden 30 minutes before the official announcement.
A surprise for even President Donald Trump who noted the rivalry of Biden and Harris played out in Democratic Presidential debates, but Turner says even that means something.
"It shows a level of political maturity on behalf of Vice President to look beyond the hard fought debate," said Turner.
It's a new campaign with an outcome yet to play out.
"This is appropriate. This is timely and you know we're ready," said Turner.