Opinion | Anita Hill: Kamala Harris and the Power of Dignity

It’s not easy to remain calm and collected in the glare of intense public scrutiny, especially when the opposition is set on denying your integrity, competence and accomplishments.But call it grace, poise or dignity, Kamala Harris has managed to make a positive case for her candidacy every day since President Biden endorsed her to take his place on the Democratic ticket.

Think about it: No presidential nominees in modern history have faced such a direct challenge to the authenticity of their identity and by extension their qualifications to be the president.I can tell you with confidence that the various and sundry racist, misogynist and sexist insults hurled at Ms.Harris must sting.

They are a reminder of the disgraceful lengths that Republican senators took to shame me when I challenged Clarence Thomas’s fitness to be appointed to the Supreme Court.What helped me stay composed was knowing that I was not the first woman to have her sanity, truthfulness and virtue falsely impugned.

Even now, when I am attacked, my mother’s firm but gentle admonition rings in my ears: “You know who you are and what you can do.” Lesson learned: Never let the people who despise you define you.One key to surviving under such pressure is to forcefully embrace the value of your own capabilities and principles.“Don’t be confined to other people’s perception about what this looks like, and how you should act in order to be,” Ms.

Harris said this year.That posture is evident in the clarity and directness with which she states her qualifications for the presidency.

During their debate last month, when Ms.Harris exposed Donald Trump’s weaknesses without lowering herself to his level, the strength of her dignity was made even more obvious.

She told us that she knew “Donald Trump’s type,” and she proved her point without self-congratulations.One facet of Vice President Harris’s dignity is her recognition of the right of others to be treated with respect.Take Re...