I personally think a Woman of Color is the perfect person to bring this country together. Let me explain:Why is a Woman of Color the perfect person to heal this wounded nation? Part of what is tearing this nation apart is that different groups sometimes use the same words to mean different things. We try to communicate, but it can feel like the other side is being disingenuous or evasive. Most people do not realize that human groups develop “codes” of meaning outsiders cannot necessarily hear. For example, when Ronald Reagan spoke of “welfare mothers” many white people would conjure mental images of a black woman taking advantage of the system although Reagan never really came out and said it.Without even mentioning skin color, Rush Limbaugh used phrases like “inner city” or “thug” to trigger negative images of People of Color in his white listeners. Countless people fell into the tar pits of Limbaugh’s circular arguments without even consciously realizing they were being ethically gutted.Minority populations have to navigate both the coded language of the dominant group and that of their own group. People of Color are very familiar with the coded language of white culture, but most white people are at a loss when it comes to understanding various racial and ethnic groups. Who better to build a bridge across the racial divide than someone who knows both sides?Women navigate the patriarchy on a regular basis. Many, if not most men, are at a loss when it comes to grasping what pregnancy means in someone’s else’s life. Asking a person who cannot get pregnant to understand the importance of reproductive choice is like asking a fish to fly. That is why no one without a womb should be making decisions about the reproductive lives of those who do.Not to nominate a Woman of Color because our image of an electable president has been an old white guy is a terrible mistake. A nation is held together by its universal principles, not its partisan majorities. It is a losing game to steer our course by the passing clouds of political expedience instead of the pole star of our highest values. I don’t know whether Kamala Harris will get the presidential nomination or if Democrats will move to an open process. I just want to go on record saying that a Woman of Color is the best candidate for bringing this nation together. If we are choosing someone to build a bridge across our racial and gender divides, why not choose someone who knows both sides of the abyss?