As a Black woman, I can vouch for a white, male VP prospect from Minnesota, Tim Walz

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“The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman.”

Malcolm X said that in 1962, two years before Vice President Kamala Harris was born.

His words remain true today and have been proven on the contemporary campaign trail. We’ve watched as Harris’ many accomplishments and her very character have been denigrated like no major political candidate in our nation’s history.

In the short time since President Joe Biden announced he will not seek reelection, Harris has been subjected to vicious slurs and racist insults, meant not just to demean her but to destroy her.

As she marches toward Election Day, she’s going to need someone who knows how to support her and respect her.

Without a shadow of a doubt or a hint of reservation, I am 100% certain that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is the best option to be her vice president. He knows how to give unwavering support to Black women. He is not just an ally; he is our accomplice.

How can I speak with such certainty? Because Walz has shown such support to me.

Three years ago this month, he accompanied me as I got my COVID-19 vaccine. The pandemic was at its height, and I had decided I was not going to get the shot. Like many Black women, I have good reason for not trusting the health care system: the shameful, tragic Tuskegee study and my own experience of nearly dying in childbirth.

But after voicing my anti-vaccine concerns on the radio, I changed my mind when my teenage son asked me to get the shot as his birthday present.

My public reconsideration turned me into a target for anti-vaxxers who planned to protest when I was vaccinated. At 11 p.m. on the night before I was scheduled to get the shot, police came to my door, saying they had received “credible threats” against me and my family.

Walz was in touch, asking what I needed to be safe. He made sure we had extra security and was by my side when the Hy-Vee pharmacist gave me the shot, whispering, “You got this.”

Because he came, there were additional officers there, which meant my children and I were safe. Because he came, the media came, too, and carried my message to other Black women that it’s OK to change your mind.

As a business owner, I recognized that fellow Black entrepreneurs needed to better understand and leverage our political power. With no lobbyists speaking up for us at the State Capitol when Minnesota had a $17 billion surplus, we were at risk of being left out as the money pie was being cut.

Traditionally, by the time Black business owners hear about opportunities, the dollars have been doled out and the deadline to get funding has expired.

I created and sponsored Black Entrepreneurs Day at the Capitol, inviting hundreds of business owners to join me. Walz again asked how he and his administration could help. He came to our rally in the Rotunda, addressed the crowd and talked one-on-one with business owners.

His presence and leadership were a game-changer. When he took me, and us, seriously, so did the legislators who came to learn more about obstacles Black business owners face to become successful. Walz acknowledged the role of these Black business owners and expanded funding to strengthen the state investment in businesses in communities of color.

Walz has not only used his presence to support Black women, but he has also used his pen.

He signed into law the CROWN Act, which bans racial discrimination based on hair texture and styles, and the African American Family Preservation Act, which addresses disparities in the child welfare system and promotes the stability of Black families. He signed the bill that established the state’s Office of Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls in response to the Minnesota statistic that Black women are three times more likely to be murdered than white women.

He has elevated BIPOC women in his administration, especially through his partnership with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the highest-ranking Native American woman elected to executive office in the U.S.

Because of the way our society is set up, Harris will most certainly need to select a white man as her vice president.

Her vice president will be called her “running mate,” with the idea that the two are running in tandem. But in fact, her veep must run behind her. Her name is first.

White men are not accustomed to being in a secondary position to a Black woman, but that’s the job. In private, they can offer their unfiltered counsel on matters of state. In public, they will have to display their loyalty and defer to her wisdom and wishes.

Being strategically invisible or staying in the background will require a humility that many white men have never had to demonstrate. She’s going to be Gladys Knight; he will be a Pip.

As a Black woman, I can vouch for the white man from Minnesota. Tim Walz knows how to go ten toes in for Black women, and in the words of that great American prophet LL Cool J, he’s doing it well.

Sheletta Brundidge is an award-winning broadcaster, podcaster, author and founder of /ShelettaMakesMeLaugh.com, a production and promotions company that celebrates Black culture.