I have a lot of very feminist men in my life but it’s been hard to explain even to them how demoralizing, depressing and sickly familiar Hillary Clinton’s 2016 defeat to Donald Trump felt to so many women. Many of us have competed for top jobs, and lost, against far less qualified and seriously problematic men.

That’s why, among most of the women I know, there is such a sense of excitement and optimism over Kamala Harris’s run for president. As someone who covered the early days of Barack Obama’s rise to power and message of hope, Harris’s bid for the Oval Office feels even more hopeful given she’s the first Black and South Asian-American woman to helm a major U.S. political party.

Today in The Conversation Canada, Terri Givens of the University of British Columbia takes a very personal look at the sexism and misogyny that always confronts women politicians, especially Black women who must also deal with abject racism on an almost hourly basis. Harris herself is already being subjected to tired sexist and racist tropes on social media and beyond, she notes.

Givens is a Black American woman born the same year as Harris, and she writes about the lack of role models for women like her as she grew up. She also delves into the tough road Harris faces. But Givens sounds a hopeful note: “Harris certainly seems unbowed and already doing the hard work of getting elected on Nov. 5.”

Also today:

• To address the growing issue of microplastics in the Great Lakes, we need to curb our consumption
• Creating a gender-inclusive entrepreneurial landscape will help women fit in and thrive
• How AI bots spread misinformation online and undermine democratic politics
• How remote work poses unique challenges to public sector employees