Glamour Magazine announced Monday that Sen. Kamala Harris and Chrissy Teigen were among the magazine’s Women of the Year.
Often mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2020, the California senator said she would reveal her intentions after the Midterm elections.
In the last few months, she has been barnstorming the country on behalf of Democratic candidates, raising funds for the Democrats and at the same time, sowing the seeds for a possible presidential campaign in the form of IOUs from those same candidates and generating media buzz everywhere she goes.
When she got up to accept her award, Harris pleaded with those watching to take their frustration to the polls, inspiring the room to take action and ultimately leaving the ball in the voters’ court.
Read her full awards speech, below:
“I will say, looking across the honorees tonight, there is one thing that I think we know that they and you all have in common with each other, and it is something that this country needs more of. And that is to speak truth. And have leaders who speak truth. Here’s the thing about truth: The truth and speaking it is a powerful thing. And speaking truth can often make people quite uncomfortable. But if we are going to be a country that engages in honest conversations with the point of getting beyond where we are and seeing what we can be unburdened by what we have been, we must speak truth—and speak the truth uncomfortable and difficult though it may be to hear.
“The honorees tonight speak the truth. You have spoken the hard truth about unchecked criminal sexual abuse and held a perpetrator accountable and demanded accountability. You have spoken a truth that needs to be spoken and shown so much courage in doing that.
“You speak the truth, the honorees tonight, about the need for women—particularly women of color—to be seen and heard and for their stories to be told, from the Senate floor to movie sets to concert stages. You speak the truth. You speak the truth. You speak the truth about gun violence. You speak the truth [about what] tears our communities apart and takes away our children, from Parkland to Chicago to South Los Angeles. You’ve been speaking those truths. You speak the truth about America’s history—in all of its greatness and in all of its complexity. And you have spoken the truth about the right of self-determination for every woman across the globe. And that is what we need at this moment.
“This is an inflection moment, I believe, in the history of our country. This is a moment where there are powerful forces trying to sew hate and division among us. And if we’re going to deal with where we are in this inflection moment, we must speak all these truths. And one of the most significant and important truths right now is also that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us. Let’s speak and own that truth, in particular in the face of those who are trying to have us point fingers at each other and divide us. Let’s speak these truths.
“The final point I’ll make is this: In this inflection moment in the history of our country, this is a moment, yes, these truths must be spoken. We need to bring folks together. Let’s also recognize this moment will pass. At some moment, this moment will pass. It will pass. And years from now, people are going to look in our eyes, each one of us, and they will ask us, ‘Where were you at that inflection moment?’ And what we’re all going to be able to say is we were here together and we were fighting for the best of who we are. Thank you so much.”
Model and TV host Chrissy Teigen was named for her influence through her social media, and her running commentary on contemporary culture and politics .
“So funny. So true. And so damn necessary,” writes Glamour. “Chrissy Teigen may be one of the most relatable people on the Internet, but she’s also an unofficial spokesperson for Generation Fed Up.”
“I never thought I’d be the kind of person who would win anything,” Teigen said in her emotional acceptance speech. “I was used to being on his [John Legend’s] arm. I was excited to support him and be there, but this is an honor.”
Teigen “was ready to be the light-hearted one” at the Women of the Year awards, she told the audience as she wiped away tears. (Legend was crying while introducing his wife, too, by the way.) “Please don’t show that I cry or have emotions!”
“I’m so honored to have this platform,” Teigen said to close out her speech. “I’m so honored to talk about chicken pot pies or getting blocked by Donald.”
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