"She Held My Hopes": Nigerian Lawyer Reflects on Kamala Harris' Loss in US Election
- The US Vice President Kamala Harris's defeat in the November presidential election has remained a topic of discussion and reflection
- Titilope Anifowoshe, a Nigerian lawyer, reflected on the outcome of the US election and what it means for women who are trying to break barriers
- Anifowoshe also extolled the virtues of Kamala Harris as a leader and the hope of the girl-child who has dreams
The defeat of United States Vice President Kamala Harris in the November 5 presidential election has continued to generate reactions from concerned Nigerians. This is as Nigerian lawyer Barrister Titilope Anifowoshe shared her reflection about the poll.
In an epistle sent to Lagit.ng, the Nigerian legal icon extolled Harris's hope for the female world and the virtues of the US vice president. Anifowoshe hoped that one day, a woman would rule the most powerful nation in the world while sharing her experience in the leadership struggle as a woman.
Source: Getty Images
Below is her reflection:
"The night is thick with a strange melancholy, the kind that makes even a hardened heart feel fragile. There is an ache woven into every inch of me tonight. Louder than the music I have drowned myself in for hours, the sobs claw at my throat, raw and relentless, haunting my every breath. I can barely lift myself from bed, surrounded by empty wrappers and crumpled dreams, feeling the weight of so many disappointments – some personal, some stretching far beyond me.
"Kamala Harris lost, and somehow, it feels like a piece of me has also been lost. In her defeat, I hear echoes of every missed opportunity, injustice, and barrier women have faced. I think back to Hillary’s loss and how it left me shattered years ago. These women, whom I have admired from afar, have held my hopes and have shown me what could be possible. America, a country I have never even touched, has become a place of dreams for me, not for what it is but for what it claims to represent. Each setback in its promises to women feels deeply personal, another reminder of the battles still left to fight.
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"I resonate with Kamala’s voice, not only in what she said but in what she represented: a woman of colour, strong and unapologetic, holding space in a world that so often dismisses women who dare to lead. Her ambition reminded me that our dreams are sacred, that they deserve to exist, no matter how often we are told to shrink or wait our turn. And though her journey met with loss, that spark she lit remains, flickering within each of us who listened and believed.
"Women around the world, in every nation, on every continent, we live with powerful and fragile dreams. We dream of leadership, of standing tall in places where women before us are not allowed. We fight against stereotypes and confront injustice with fire, but our path is still wrought with roadblocks. Sometimes it feels like a losing battle, but precisely in these moments of loss, we must find our strength.
"I think of my final-year project at the University of Ilorin, researching discrimination against women in the Nigerian legal system, delving into the deep-seated biases that keep us chained. That research was a revelation; it opened my eyes to the larger fight against gender violence, a battle that spans far beyond any single country. I wrote of laws and policies, but what I learned was that true change takes more than words. True change requires resilience, the kind that has held women together through centuries of silence and struggle."
Anifowoshe lamented the challenges women faced when attempting to break the barrier and stressed the need for them to continue pushing. She said:
"Sometimes the world feels unbearably heavy, as though every attempt to break free is met with another wall, another reminder of the old ways. But even in this heaviness, there is purpose. I remind myself of women across history who, with fewer resources and voices than we have now, carved out places of power, breaking silence after silence. They knew that change was not immediate and that progress was a torch passed on from one generation to the next. And now, it is our turn to carry that torch. Our voices might quiver, our paths may be uncertain, but we stand on the shoulders of giants, and they are rooting for us.
"I am not alone in this feeling; that alone gives me strength. Somewhere out there, countless women share this moment, this mix of heartache and hope. To every girl and woman who finds herself questioning if she is enough if the world is ready for her dreams, I say this: we may feel invisible at times, pushed aside or underestimated, but our voices are a force, quiet yet unbreakable. And even if we are not fully recognized today, we must keep dreaming and keep pushing forward, for there will be those who come after us. For every woman who fights today, there is a girl somewhere watching, learning, and gathering the courage to become someone more.
"Perhaps we find what truly matters in our quietest, most uncertain moments. Beyond the noise, the doubt, and the heartbreak lies the simple truth that we are enough—enough to rise, enough to keep dreaming, enough to make a difference. We press on, not for immediate victories, but for the day when our daughters and sisters will know a world where their dreams are celebrated, not questioned. In this hope, in this commitment to a future that honors the strength of every woman, I find a quiet kind of power, one that will carry us forward, no matter how long the night may seem.
"I look ahead, not only for myself but for the generations to come, for Nigeria, for Africa. One day, we will raise daughters and sons who believe in equity as naturally as they breathe. They will grow up in a world that may still hold echoes of its past, but they will also bring with them the strength of their mothers, grandmothers, and all the women who have ever dared to dream beyond what the world expected."
Source: Legit.ng
Bada Yusuf (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Yusuf Amoo Bada is an accomplished writer with 7 years of experience in journalism and writing, he is also politics and current affairs editor with Legit.ng. He holds B.A in Literature from OAU, and Diploma in Mass Comm. He has obtained certificates in Google's Advance Digital Reporting, News Lab workshop. He previously worked as an Editor with OperaNews. Legit’s Best Editor of the Year for Politics and Current Affairs Desk (2023). Contact: bada.yusuf.amoo@corp.legit.ng
Titilope Anifowoshe (Lawyer) Titilope Anifowoshe is a legal practitioner, author, and development consultant. She is an advocate of politics with values and SDGs. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Eagles Foundation for Humanity, COO, Citizens Hub and Co-Convener of For Citizens Alliance.
