This column is part of HuffPosts She the People series, stories by Black women exploring Kamala Harris historic candidacy. To read more, visit our hub .

The past few days have been a miracle in American politics, where much of an electorate previously resigned to a rematch of two old white men is now inspired and invigorated at the prospect of making history.

Almost immediately after President Joe Biden announced that he wouldnt be running for a second term, Vice President Kamala Harris declared her candidacy and received the endorsement of various working people, unions, moderate and progressive Democrats , and nonprofits (as well as George Clooney, who appears to be quite powerful in domestic politics). Within a day, not only did Harris raise $81 million, but Gen Z influencers, young activists and the boys on Fire Island were already sporting Brat tees emblazoned with Kamala and other HARRIS 2024 gear.

Undermining forces have long tried to obscure the reality of who Harris is and what she has accomplished, with comments like: Shes locked up 100,000 innocent Black men. Shes Bidens puppet. Shes a radical socialist. Shes a conservative centrist. Shes not Black enough. Shes too Black. Her family owned slaves. She hasnt done anything as VP. She laughs too loud.

Given our countrys shameful legacy of racism and misogyny, its no surprise that a woman of color who has broken so many barriers in her career (first Black and South Asian woman to serve as attorney general of California; first South Asian senator; second Black female U.S. senator; first female, Black, and South Asian vice president) would be subject to a disproportionate number of misinformed personal attacks and attempts to discredit her professional record. We cannot allow the negative spin to continue to seep into what should be her strongest support base.

As we watch her campaign unfold over the next hundred days, we must stop listening to what people tell us about Kamala Devi Harris and start listening to, and amplifying, what shes actually said and done. After all, Harris is a towering intellect and a forceful orator who badly flustered then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions during a Senate intelligence hearing in 2017, and damn near made Brett Kavanaugh cry during his Supreme Court confirmation hearings in 2018. And who could forget Harris wonderful reactions to Mike Pence s mansplaining interruptions during their 2020 debate, with her now-viral phrase: Mr. Vice President, Im speaking. Im speaking.

Some, however, have complained that the clear voice she used as a vice-presidential nominee has been muffled since she took office. For those who dont know: Thats literally the job of the vice president. The role means working behind the scenes, supporting the president and eschewing the limelight. Being VP is a thankless position that requires even the best of team players to summon the patience of Job while they bite their tongue and wait their turn.

But make no mistake, Harris has always been about getting things done. As Californias attorney general, as senator and as vice president, Harris created or supported programs addressing everything from discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community to environmental protection , from gun violence to affordable housing , from maternal health to sex trafficking , and from reproductive rights to college debt . When we look at Harris entire record, the picture that emerges is of a strong and focused leader who cares deeply about justice, underserved communities and a more equitable future for all.

Unfortunately, Harris and her supporters will still need to debunk false claims about her on media platforms and in casual conversations alike. For example, an oft-repeated criticism is that Harris is a cop who put tons of Black men behind bars for marijuana. The reality is that over the eight years Harris was Californias AG, there were 1,883 total admissions to state prison on marijuana offenses, with the number decreasing dramatically from 817 her first year to 137 in her last . Harris also introduced the Back on Track program , which reduced recidivism by diverting nonviolent offenders to job training and life skills as an alternative to incarceration.

Still, Harris years of progressive and empathetic actions wont be enough to win her the presidency unless she can quickly put forth messaging that speaks to former President Barack Obama s coalition educated white women, African Americans, Latinos, Gen Z and millennials, and LGBTQ+ voters. This is an election of numbers, and whoever has the best marketers and the best ground game will win.

Harris is up against one of the best natural marketers in the game, and as absurd and nefarious as Trump is, its hard to argue against for lack of a better term his vibe. It took a particular kind of magnetism for the silver spoon-fed former reality TV star to create a cultish following of working-class people whom he has no interest in understanding or serving.

What makes Harris so dangerous to Trump is that she not only has the political acumen hes never possessed, but that she wields the same star power. Shes already inspiring memes that spotlight her dancing with students and grilling Kavanaugh on gender equality and reproductive rights. And the culture is rallying behind Harris: Musicians like John Legend, Katy Perry, Chappell Roan and Charli XCX who gave her the ultimate compliment of Kamala IS brat (Google it if you were born before 1999) have expressed their support. Even Beyonc indicated her approval of Harris by allowing the use of her inspiring song Freedom for Harris presidential campaign.

Hopefully, her campaign managers and strategists can get her messaging out further not just on cable television, but across social media, in places of worship, and with everyday people in her ever-growing coalition. The increased visibility will allow voters to appreciate Harris own compelling vibe: part tough-talking prosecutor, part progressive leader, part dancing Howard University grad, and part home-chef Momala (as her stepkids call her).

Though Harris has both the requisite charisma and a clear lane of opposition from the would-be dictator who wants to drag the U.S. back to the 1950s, shell need to figure out how much to differentiate herself from the Biden administration. Fortunately, she has many successes as VP to tout, including expanding health care coverage to millions of Americans; increasing the minimum wage for all U.S. workers on federal projects; advocating for policies that help low-income Americans access affordable health care, housing and education ; and reducing gun violence via her work on the bipartisan assault weapons ban, extending background checks for gun purchases, and heading up the new gun violence prevention office at the White House.

However, while shes not the border czar or remotely responsible for any so-called open borders, the GOP is scapegoating Harris for the numbers of migrants trying to enter this country over the past four years. She has also inherited the particularly thorny issue of the Israel-Hamas war, one that has enraged and alienated many Black, brown, and young voters from the Biden administration. It will take real dexterity for Harris to articulate her perspective on these topics.

Harris galvanizing new campaign slogan Lets WIN this! is a great start. It evokes the notion that were all standing together, fighting toward the shared goal of saving our democracy and moving our nation forward. Thats the magic shell need to conjure to combat the fanatical devotion of MAGA world. Its hard to think of a person more the opposite of Donald Trump than Kamala Harris, who dedicated much of her career to protecting vulnerable women from the kind of predatory sexual abuse for which her opponent a convicted felon for unrelated reasons was found liable . But she must continue to offer evidence that she is the anti-Trump.

To give Harris the best possible opportunity to make her case, we should simply let her speak for herself. We need Harris to put forth her own platform, separate from Biden; to continue to establish a rapport with the members of what could be the largest and broadest coalition ever engaged by a politician; and to be absolutely unafraid to go after Trump. This is not the time to go high; its the time to go hard. Kamala, youve been trying to tell us who you are for years. Its your time to speak now, and we are all listening.

Lets WIN this!