Growing up as a first-generation Caribbean American in the Bronx, New York, I didn’t always see a clear pathway into American politics. The distance between my lived experience and the corridors of power in Washington felt vast until I encountered two figures who made that distance feel bridgeable: former Vice President Kamala Harris and General Colin Powell.
They weren’t just historic leaders. They were reflections of possibility.
Like many children of Caribbean immigrants, I was raised on the values of discipline, service, and resilience. My family believed deeply in education and civic responsibility, but there were few examples that showed what it looked like to translate those values into national leadership. That changed when I learned about Colin Powell.
As a son of Jamaican immigrants who rose to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and later Secretary of State, Powell embodied a version of American leadership that felt both aspirational and familiar. When I became a Colin Powell Fellow at The City College of New York (CCNY), it wasn’t just an academic honor, it was a calling. The fellowship challenged me to think critically about leadership, ethics, and service, while grounding me in a legacy that told me I belonged. During my tenure, I was able to meet General Powell and his wife Mrs. Alma Powell.
Powell’s life taught me that leadership is not just about power, it’s about responsibility. It’s about making difficult decisions with integrity, even when the stakes are high. Those lessons would follow me into every professional space I entered.
Years later, I would find another powerful source of inspiration in Kamala Harris.
When I began working in her political orbit in 2019, Harris was already breaking barriers as a U.S. Senator. But what struck me most wasn’t just her résumé, it was her story. The daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, she represented a new chapter in American politics, one where people like us were no longer on the margins, but at the center.
Working for her in various capacities between 2019 and 2024 including her two presidential campaigns and the Biden-Harris administration, was transformative. It gave me a front-row seat to history as she became the first woman, the first Black woman, and the first person of South Asian descent to serve as Vice President of the United States. But beyond the milestones, it was her leadership style which is grounded, strategic, and unapologetically inclusive, that left the deepest impression on me.
Harris showed me that representation is not just symbolic, it shapes how decisions are made, whose voices are heard, and what priorities rise to the top. Watching her navigate complex political terrain reinforced my belief that diverse leadership is not a luxury in our democracy, it is a necessity.
Together, Powell and Harris represent two different eras of American leadership, but their impact on my life converges in one profound way: they made public service feel accessible.
They affirmed that my Caribbean-American background was not a barrier but an asset.
Today, as someone who has spent over a decade working in government, communications, and public affairs, I carry their influence with me. Whether serving in federal leadership roles, advising senior officials, or helping shape national conversations, I am guided by the same principles they exemplified: integrity, courage, and a commitment to something larger than oneself.
As we look to the future, I hope more young people from Caribbean and immigrant backgrounds see themselves not just as participants in our democracy, but as leaders of it. Because the next generation of Colin Powells and Kamala Harris’ are already here. They just need to know it’s possible.
** Troy Blackwell is a former advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris, was President Biden’s Deputy Chief Communications Officer at the U.S. Department of Commerce, and served as the Global Spokesperson for the U.S. Peace Corps.
