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The Narrative Arc

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THE NARRATIVE ARC

Because Life Disappoints Little Black Girls

Kamala’s and Harper’s ‘better’ wasn’t enough

5 min readNov 27, 2024

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Young girl stars at camera
Vice President Kamala Harris shared this photo on her Twitter account, depicting herself as a school girl.

Harper — my brilliant 9-year-old who is hellbent on ruling the world — lost her election.

Well, let me back up. She won, then she lost. She won her initial election. See, her tenure at the STEAM school she’s currently attending has gone swimmingly. She’s learning. She’s getting her lesson. She’s honing her skills as a people person.

She’s essentially preparing herself for world domination.

Harper is hell on wheels. And she’s always been that way. And she will always be that way. But she’s smart. And she’s getting smarter. She’s diabolical.

She’s calculated.

And one of her recent calculations became getting involved in student government. She entered her hat into the ring to be her class council. To represent her class and their interest. To be an advocate for her fellow voiceless 4th graders during student council meetings. She vowed to fight for the less studious among her. She vowed to fight for those who were getting B’s and C’s, instead of A’s. She would…

“Dad, I won!”

“Wow, congratulations, Harper! I’m so proud of you, girl! Now you can fight for your…

The Narrative Arc
The Narrative Arc

Published in The Narrative Arc

Medium’s best creative nonfiction — memoirs and personal essays. Eclectic, nuanced, entertaining. Follow us, or join our writers’ collective.

Leslie McLemore II
Leslie McLemore II

Written by Leslie McLemore II

I like to find the humor in stuff. Even if the stuff isn’t meant to be humorous. And sometimes, I write about that kind of stuff. Found humor and all.

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