Indianapolis, IN
The first, but not the last – Indianapolis Recorder
For the first time in American history, a woman of color was on stage debating as the Democratic presidential nominee. No matter the outcome, this was a historical event. There is only one first. On this night in September of 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris was the first.
Harris was certainly unflappable in the debate. She maintained her poise and composure. There was no question as to whether she could hold her own in a verbal sparring match.
If anything, being a woman of color may have further strengthened her resolve. A lifetime of overcoming racial and gender biases could have better prepared her for standing firm in that moment.
We must ask ourselves why this has taken so long to legitimately consider women for the presidency. Other countries have made the leap decades ago to elect or appoint women as heads of state. Margaret Thatcher began her 11-year tenure as the prime minister of the United Kingdom in 1979. Angela Merkel served Germany as its chancellor from 2005-21. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was the first woman president of Liberia, taking office in 2006 and serving for 12 years.
Individually, we can decide whether we agree with each leader’s policies or style of governing. But collectively, we must ask ourselves why the U.S. has not yet had a woman as president.
Fifty years ago, Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman to run for president. The “unbought and unbossed” politician was also the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. Chisholm did not win her party’s nomination, but she is widely credited with paving the way for future women in politics.
Some skeptical voters argued that a woman as a leader was just too risky for the country when Hillary Clinton ran in 2016.
During one of Clinton and Donald Trump’s 2016 debates, Trump said he had, “much better judgment than she has … I also have a much better temperament than she has.”
Those arguments speak directly to the biases people have about women in any leadership position. A woman could do a good job if only she could get her “temperament” under control.
Having served as a Secretary of State, First Lady of the United States, First Lady of Arkansas, attorney and so on, Clinton’s track record was more than comparable to that of other politicians. There have certainly been presidential candidates with fewer credentials. However, many of the doubts she encountered were not based on her merit, but simply on her womanhood and whether people thought a woman could ever fill the seat of president.
Some detractors noted a woman’s perceived emotional instability as the reason for not wanting to vote for her. Despite Clinton’s experience, for them, her feminine nature meant she could not be entrusted with big decisions even as Clinton had rarely been seen in the light of the archetypical woman. Her image is much more synonymous with the power suit than it is with being at home baking cookies or knitting socks.
In 2023, the Pew Research Center reported that the country was fairly evenly split on its views of having a woman as president. It is up to us to ask ourselves why it has taken our country centuries to have women on the ticket and when we will finally see a woman in the oval office.
With females making up more than half of the U.S. population, we should be able to agree by now that a woman should not be disqualified just because she is a woman.
As Harris’s mother reminded her, she may be the first, but she should work to make sure she is not the last.
Contact Editor-in-Chief Camike Jones at camikej@indyrecorder.com or 317-762-7850.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – More than a dozen protesters gathered at Military Park. In a dramatic escalation, the US and Israel engaged in military strikes against Iran and protesters are upset, including veteran Lucas Lee.
“I know what it’s like to be on the edge, potentially going somewhere where your life is at risk. And I believe this war is something we shouldn’t be fighting in. It’s important to stand up, because not only is standing up the right thing to do, but it could potentially save lives.”
Protesters held signs that read ‘Hands off Iran’ in front of the corner of West and New York intersection.
Several cars honked in support. Democratic City County Councilor Jesse Brown attended as well.
IPS School Teacher Noah Leininger organized the Anti-Iran War Rally. “The United States spends 1 trillion dollars on war every single year. While there are massive unmet needs right here in our own communities. People need jobs, healthcare, housing, and schools. And instead our government spends a trillion dollars every year to go and bomb elementary school age girls,” he said.
Iranian officials say the U.S. and Isreal hit a girl’s primary school in southern Iran killing at least 115 people.
The US strikes have not only created tension in the Middle East, but also here at home.
Mark Oakley who supports military action Iran, confronted the anti-war protesters. “Freedom for Iranian people, freedom for Americans. Freedom for everybody, but this [protest] is not it. When you’re debating about innocent people getting killed. You are debating the wrong thing.”
Additional police were called in to de-escalate the situation.
Chris Gomez, attended the protest because he wanted to take action. “Trump ran on a platform called the party of peace. That’s what Republicans run their policy on a party of peace, but look where we are now.”
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Opera will host a free concert in honor of Black History Month Saturday night at 6 p.m. to celebrate the legacy and artistry of Black composers. The event features a range of spirituals, contemporary art songs, and operatic works performed a cappella.
Lyndsay Moy, the director of education, outreach, branding and design for Indianapolis Opera, said the event is designed to keep this specific music accessible to the public.
Resident artist Ian Williams, describes the concert as a mix of traditional repertoire and new songs. The artists will perform without microphones or instrumental accompaniment. “All of this is just straight out of our voices, so there’s no microphones,” Williams said. “We’re just creating the sound ourselves and putting it into a space, so it’s a little bit of, a little bit of breathing, a little bit of extra work there, yes.”
“So many composers tonight have been so influential in the broader vocal canon and it’s important and wonderful for us to be able to offer this kind of concert for free to our community to keep this kind of music accessible and more importantly to feature these fabulous artists like Ian so much talent,” Moy said.
Williams noted that the concert allows the organization to celebrate classic composers who were not well known during their own time. “It’s very cool because we get to celebrate some of classic composers all the way back to William Grant Steele, who was one of the who wrote operas back in the day, even during the time of Porgy and Bess, but he wasn’t, it wasn’t well known,” Williams said.
One of the featured pieces is the traditional spiritual “Fix Me Jesus,” which was arranged for the University of Michigan choir. Williams said the arrangement by Stacey Gibbs maintains the traditional spiritual style while adding rich harmonies.
While formal tickets for the event are currently sold out, those interested in attending can email tickets@indyopera.org to be added to a waitlist.
Check out the video above to hear a sneak peak of the Indianapolis Opera!
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — “The Zone” featured highlights from eight high school boys basketball games from across central Indiana on Friday.
Watch highlights of Tri-West at Cardinal Ritter above.
Final Score: Tri-West 65 Cardinal Ritter 62
“The Zone” airs each Friday at 11:08 p.m. Click here to watch ‘The Zone’ for basketball highlights on February 27, 2026.
Prep talk: Football student-athletes to be honored at annual banquets
At least nine killed after Iranian strike on Israel’s Beit Shemesh
Mass shooting at Austin, Texas bar leaves at least 3 dead, 14 wounded, authorities say
Newsom’s ‘disgraceful’ call for Dems to be ‘culturally normal’ is ‘dangerous,’ far-left podcaster says
Judge orders Ilhan Omar attack suspect to remain in custody pending trial
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
At least nine killed after Iranian strike on Israel’s Beit Shemesh
Mass shooting at Austin, Texas bar leaves at least 3 dead, 14 wounded, authorities say
Mamdani’s response to Trump’s Iran strike sparks conservative backlash: ‘Rooting for the ayatollah’
Activists hail ‘historic’ EU’s decision on accessible abortion
A long-buried recording and the Supreme Court of old (CT+) : Consider This from NPR
-
World3 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts4 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Montana1 week ago2026 MHSA Montana Wrestling State Championship Brackets And Results – FloWrestling
-
Denver, CO4 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Louisiana6 days agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Technology1 week agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Technology1 week agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making
-
Politics1 week agoOpenAI didn’t contact police despite employees flagging mass shooter’s concerning chatbot interactions: REPORT