>>> 41 PAST THE HOUR. >>> 41 PAST THE HOUR. NOW TO MY EXCLUSIVE SIT-DOWN WITH THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, KAMALA HARRIS. THE 56-YEAR-OLD IS A LOT OF THINGS TO A LOT OF PEOPLE. WIFE, MAAM WIFE, MAMALA, VICE PRESIDENT, AND TRAILBLAZER. THE VICE PRESIDENT IS ONE OF FOUR WOMEN ON THE COVER OF "FORBES" AND ITS THE FIRST COVER IN THE MAGAZINES FIRST-EVER, INCLUSIVE CAPITALISM SPECIAL ISSUE, WHICH LOOKS AT HOW SOCIETAL CHANGE CAN ENSURE EVERYONE HAS EQUAL ACCESS AND AN EQUAL CHANCE TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS. SHE IS ALSO LAUNCHING THE LIST OF THOSE BEING RECOGNIZED AS PART OF KNOW YOUR VALUES SPECIAL 50 OVER 50 INITIATIVE WITH FORBES TO CELEBRATE WOMEN WHO HAVE ACHIEVED NOTABLE SUCCESS AT MID-LIFE AND WAY BEYOND. SO FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATIONS FOR BEING LIKE THE HEAD OF THE FIRST CLUB AND THIS LIST, BUT FIRST, FIRST, FIRST, ITS GOT TO BE WONDERFUL AND STRESSFUL. >> WELL, YOU KNOW, MY MOTHER HAD MANY SAYINGINGS, AND ONE OF THEM, SHE WOULD OFTEN SAY WAS, KAMALA, YOU MAY BE THE FIRST TO DO MANY THINGS, MAKE SURE YOURE NOT THE LAST. AND THATS SO MUCH OF WHAT YOUR WORK HAS BEEN. >> THATS A LOT TO CARRY, FOR SURE. WERE SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS LIST BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY OF US. AND IM JUST WONDERING, WHEN YOU WERE IN YOUR 20s AND 30s, DID YOU EVER IMAGINE YOUR CAREER AFTER 50. >> NOPE. >> I KNOW. ME NEITHER. >> BUT BY THAT, I MEAN, IVE NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT AND IVE NEVER BEEN ONE TO DO A FIVE-YEAR PLAN. LIKE, NEVER. I HAVENT EVER EVALUATED MYSELF BASED ON MY AGE. ITS BEEN BASED ON A TASK. >> MM-HMM. >> AND THATS REALLY HOW IVE KIND OF LIVED. YOU KNOW, I JUST THINK THAT -- I WILL SAY THAT I THINK THAT THERE IS SO MUCH THAT WE STILL NEED TO
DO TO ENCOURAGE GIRLS AND WOMEN DO TO ENCOURAGE GIRLS AND WOMEN OF EVERY AGE TO KNOW AND INTERNALIZE THEIR CAPACITY AND INTERNALIZE THEIR STRENGTH AND THEIR GIFT, WHATEVER THAT MAY BE AND TO NOT BE BURDENED BY OTHER PEOPLES LIMITED VIEWS OF THEIR CAPACITY BASED ON WHO HAS HISTORICALLY DONE WHAT. >> AND PACE YOURSELF, YOUVE GOT A LONG TIME. DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO. >> AND DO WHATS IN FRONT OF YOU WELL AND THE NEXT THING WILL COME. >> I MENTOR A LOT OF YOUNG WOMEN AND A LOT OF THE THINGS I BELIEVE AND I SAY IS FIGURE OUT WHAT KIND OF GIVES YOU -- YOUR BRAIN A TINGLE. THE THING THAT YOU WANT TO READ MORE OR YOU WANT TO DEBATE IT. THE THING THAT MAKES YOU FEEL SOMETHING, BECAUSE YOURE GOING TO WORK HARD, WHATEVER YOU DO. BUT IF YOU HAVE THE LUXURY -- AND IT IS A BLESSING AND A LUXURY, TO BE ABLE TO FOLLOW YOUR PASSION, BUT IF YOU CAN FOLLOW YOUR PASSION, DO THAT AND THE OTHER THINGS WILL COME. >> WAS THERE A POINT IN YOUR CAREER WHERE YOU THOUGHT MAYBE YOU HAD A LONGER RUNWAY THAN YOU THOUGHT? >> NO. I MEAN, LISTEN, LIKE, I AGAIN, TELL A LOT OF PEOPLE I MENTOR, I EAT "NO" FOR BREAKFAST. SO HAVE I BEEN TOLD MANY TIMES DURING MY CAREER THINGS FROM -- OH, YOURE TOO YOUNG, ITS NOT YOUR TURN, THEYRE NOT READY FOR YOU YOU, NO ONE LIKE YOU HAS DONE IT BEFORE, IVE HEARD ALL OF THINGS MANY TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF MY CAREER, BUT I DIDNT LISTEN AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE ANYONE WHOS BEEN TOLD THAT, WHATEVER THEIR GENDER, TO NOT LISTEN, BECAUSE AGAIN, DONT BE ENCUMBERED BY TIN ABILITY OF OTHERS TO SEE THE POTENTIAL OF WHO YOU ARE. I THINK ITS REALLY IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THE LIMITATIONS THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE BASED ON THEIR EXPECTATIONS AND NOT TO IMPOSE THAT ON ONES SELF. >> WE GET SET BACK BY NOs, I THINK. YOU GET A NO AND A LOT OF THEM TAKE IT REALLY PERSONALLY. I LOVE THAT YOU EAT THEM FOR BREAKFAST. >> HERES THE PIECE OF IT THAT IS AT ITS CORE. WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY TO TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE? YOU KNOW, YOU DONT LET PEOPLE TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE. YOU TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE. THATS HOW I FEEL ABOUT THESE THINGS. >> MINION MOORE SUBMITTED THE NOMINATION FOR YOU FOR FORBES 50 OVER 50 LIST. SHE WROTE THIS. VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS BELIEVES THAT EVERYONE, NO MATTER WHAT THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES IN LIFE MAY BRING, DESERVE TO BE TREATED WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT. HER VISION IS AN AMERICA WHERE EVERYONE SEES THE THEMSELVES AND EVERYONE IS INCLUDED. WITH SO MANY SMALL BUSINESS SES, ESPECIALLY RUN BY WOMEN, SHUT DOWN AND BRUTALIZED BY THE PANDEMIC, HOW DO YOU ENVISION GETTING ACCESS TO CAPITAL TO MARGINALIZED ENTREPRENEURS? >> IM SO GLAD YOU BROUGHT THIS UP. THIS IS ONE OF MY AREAS OF FOCUS, I CARE SO DEEPLY ABOUT THIS. ONE, LETS BE CLEAR ABOUT WHERE WE ARE. HALF OF AMERICAS WORKFORCE WORKS FOR A SMALL BUSINESS OR OWNS A SMIBSALL BUSINESS. SAD SADLY, DURING THE COURSE OF OUR PANDEMIC, ONE THIRD OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES HAVE CLOSED. LETS ADD ON TO THIS, IF YOU LIFT UP THE ECONOMIC STATUS OF WOMEN, LIFT UP THE ECONOMIC STATUS OF FAMILIES, ALL OF SOCIETY BENEFITS. AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES RANGE FROM THE CHILD CENTER TO THE SOFTWARE COMPANY AND WHAT I HAVE SEEN IN MY TRAVELS IS THAT WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES, MANY OF THEM, THESE TWO OF THEM, IS RUNNING A RESTAURANT AND ONE IS RUNNING A CATERING BUSINESS. I MET WITH THEM AND SAID, HOW DID IT GO IN TERMS OF STARTING OUT WHEN YOU HAD THIS VISION. AND BOTH OF THEM SAID, I HEARD A WORD ID NEVER HEARD BEFORE. I WAS TOLD I WAS UNBANKABLE. SO THEY WENT TO A BANK TO START THEIR BUSINESS AND THEY WERE TOLD THAT THEY WERE UNBANKABLE. THAT THEY BASICALLY WERE NOT WORTH THE INVESTMENT. AND SO WHAT ENDED UP HAPPENING IS BOTH OF THEM FOUND A WAY TO ACTUALLY HAVE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN THEM AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE SHOULD DO MORE OF IS INVEST IN COMMUNITY BANKS CALLED CDFIs WHICH ARE IN THE COMMUNITY AND HAVE THE ABILITY BECAUSE THEYRE IN THE COMMUNITY TO SEE THE VISION OF THESE INCREDIBLE ENTREPRENEURS. THATS SOME OF THE WORK IM DOING. AND IVE MET COMMUNITY BANK CDFIs, THERES ONE THATS RUN IN SOUTH DAKOTA THATS FOCUSED ON THE NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITY THERE. AND THE BANKER, THE PERSON WHO RUNS THE SMALL BUSINESS, WHICH IS A COMMUNITY BANK, SAID, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE NATIVE AMERICANS IN THE COMMUNITY WHO HAVE A VISION FOR OPENING AN OPERATION TO MAKE QUILTS. BECAUSE CEREMONIAL QUILTS, QUILTS FOR SPECIAL OCCASION. PEOPLE BUY THOSE, THEY WANT THEM, THERES A MARKET FOR IT. AND THEY MAY GO TO A TRADITIONAL BANK GET THE INVESTMENT, BUT TRADITIONAL BANK DOESNT SEE THE VISION, RIGHT? BUT THE COMMUNITY BANK DOES. SO IM FOCUSED ON WORKING WITH COMMUNITY BANKS TO MAKE SURE
THAT WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS WHO THAT WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS WHO HAVE A VISION EF-, THAT THEY ARE RESPECTED AND HAVEKCAN GO TO A P WHERE THEY ARE BANKABLE. >> IM THINKING OF THE WOMEN OVER 50, ESPECIALLY, WHO HAVE BEEN FORCED INTO EARLY RETIREMENT, WHO DONT WANT TO BE DONE. WHO CANT AFFORD TO BE DONE. >> THATS RIGHT. >> WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THEM AND WHAT CAN BUSINESSES AND GOVERNMENT DO TO HELP THESE WOMEN? >> WELL, THERES A LOT. FIRST OF ALL, THERE IS THE WHOLE ISSUE OF RIGHT TO RETURN, RIGHT? SO TO YOUR POINT, I HAVE SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF TIME WORKING WITH WOMEN WHO WORK IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY, CULINARY WORKERS, HOTEL WORKERS, IN LAS VEGAS, FOR EXAMPLE, AND A BIG ISSUE GOING ON THERE IS THAT THEY WERE LAID OFF DURING THE PANDEMIC, BECAUSE, OF COURSE, THERES NO BUSINESS, BUT NOW THEYRE FIGHTING TO GET THEIR JOBS BACK. AND THE OLDER THE WOMAN, THE MORE FEAR SHE HAS THAT SHE WILL NOT BE REHIRED. AND SO THERES A WHOLE PUSH LEGISLATION AND FOR PEOPLE TO SUPPORT THOSE WOMENS RIGHT TO BE ABLE TO RETURN TO WORK. SO, THERE HAS TO BE A PERSPECTIVE ON BEHALF OF EVERY BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT THAT RECOGNIZES THESE WOMEN LOST THEIR JOBS THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN, THEY SHOULD NOT BE PENALIZED FOR A PANDEMIC THEY DID NOT CREATE AND THEY ABSOLUTELY SHOULD NOT BE PENALIZED FOR THEIR AGE. BECAUSE, BY THE WAY, THEY BRING EXPERIENCE TO THE JOB AND THEY HAVE AN INVESTMENT IN THE WORK THEYVE BEEN DOING FOR IN MANY CASES A COUPLE OF DECADES. >> AND THEYVE GOT MANY DECADES TO GO. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO WOMEN IN THEIR 20s AND 30s WHO FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE TO PACK IT ALL IN AND STRESSED AND FEEL LIKE THERE IS A CLOCK TICKING AND THERE IS A TIME SHELF ON THEIR LIFE. >> ONE, CONTINUE WITH YOUR AMBITION AND DONT APOLOGIZE FOR IT. AND CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO BUT ALSO KNOW YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO EXPECT THINGS LIKE AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE, YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO EXPECT PAID FAMILY LEAVE WHEN YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR CHILDREN OR YOUR ELDERLY PARENTS. THAT YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO EXPECT THAT YOU WILL BE SEEING IN THE FULL DIMENSION OF WHO YOU ARE AND YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES. AND THAT THEY SHOULD BE SUPPORTED. THESE THINGS COULD COEXIST. SO WHEN I SAY DO NOT ACCEPT FALSE CHOICES, THAT YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE EITHER THIS THING OR THAT THING, THAT IS A FALSE CHOICE. DONT ACCEPT IT. >> SHE EATS NO FOR BREAKFAST.
