Kamala Harris has worn a signature accessory to every significant occasion in the new vice president's life: a pearl necklace. When she graduated from Howard University, Harris wore a single strand of white pearls. When she received her COVID-19 vaccination and took the oath of office, Harris accessorized with black Tahitian pearls. Today, as the first woman and first person of color to take the vice presidential oath of office, she wears a string of pearls created by Puerto Rican jeweler Wilfredo Rosado.

She is not alone: a Facebook group called "Wear Your Pearls on January 20, 2021 (opens in new tab)" is calling on women and girls around the world to wear pearls in solidarity with Vice President Harris. For her supporters, Harris' necklace has become a symbol of female empowerment.

On November 7, when Harris gave her victory speech to a cheering crowd of supporters, she said, " But while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last." To the young girls watching, she said, " Dream with ambition, lead with conviction, and see yourself in ways others have never seen."

Today, when more young women and girls see the first woman of color to become vice president of the United States and imagine themselves one day following in her footsteps, they too may be wearing pearls.