Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
By Tom Archdeacon
Kamala Harris brought the rich history of resolute black womanhood to the national stage four days ago when she accepted the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nomination and became the first woman of color to run on national presidential ticket.
Her story resonated with a trio of African American women who are prominent in college athletics here. They said they were “proud” of her and “inspired,” and they were familiar with her narrative because parts of it mirrored their own:
Katrina Merriweather, the successful Wright State women’s basketball coach, said her mother, Roxanne, is her hero.
“She was just 17 when she had me. My great grandmother, my grandmother and my mom all helped raise me. For me, it really was a case of the village raising a child.”
Although the odds were against her mother, she persevered. And this December, at age 59, she will be getting her college degree in the hospitality field – Tourism, Convention and Event Management – from IUPUI.
