Regardless of what your opinion is about the Democratic nominee for President, it would be momentous to have a woman as President of the United States. Having it followed by a black presidency would really show how much the country progressed socially and culturally. It would also reveal areas where we didn't make that much progress. It was just as revealing when we had our first black POTUS.

Barack Obama's presidency was celebrated as a landmark occasion and proof that America was now a post-racial society. We have a black president now, therefore, racism in America is over. Shortly after Obama's first inauguration, the amount of people who said race relations were generally good was at an all-time high above 60 percent. In 2016, its at its lowest levels seen since the Rodney King beating. When Obama commented on the shooting of Trayvon Martin, a lot of people criticized him for making the insinuation that he was shot because of the color of his skin. Ever since then, Republican/conservative pundits, commentators, and politicians alike have blasted Obama for supporting Black Lives Matter and the perception that he was using race to divide America. Thus, resulting in Obama walking the very thin line of supporting police officers and the justice system while acknowledging the issues specific to being black in America. Black Lives Matter arose under Obama's presidency with the realization that a black president did not mean racism was over, nor was he in a position to fix it. Issues like criminal justice reform, community policing, and institutional racism have all been discussed in a way that we didn't before Obama. Issues that are now national conversations that required some deep reflections and thinking about how we treat people of color; things that we never really thought about before.

Hillary' case would be similar to Obama's, her existence as POTUS, a position never previously held by a non-white man, would be telling of how America views gender. Take for example her presence when she speaks. She's been criticized for not smiling, not having a presidential look, and having an annoying, nagging voice. In her 2008 run for President, a pundit made the comparison of her and Obama that "when Barack Obama speaks, men hear, 'Take off for the future.' And when Hillary Clinton speaks, men hear, 'Take out the garbage.'" Hillary herself noted this in an interview, acknowledging the careful line she had to walk in her professional life, balancing the appearance of being confident and the appearance of being unemotional which resonated with a lot of women when reading about the interview. Challenging gender roles also seems to strike some people's nerves. Some studies have shown that when a woman takes on more dominant job role, they are viewed more harshly and less legitimate than if a man had occupied the role. The Presidency is viewed as a more masculine job by the public, so when a woman occupies it, some people might feel uncomfortable with that just as having a black president.

There will always be some people who are outright racist and sexist but there are some trends that would become more obvious if Hillary became President. Forty-two percent of Americans think that the country is becoming too soft and feminine, more Republicans think that there's more discrimination against men than women, men in general think sexism is over, and more women are a part of the workforce than ever before. Add that to the fact that Hillary is one of the most unpopular candidates for President and is wildly unpopular with Republicans, her presidency will be the most tumultuous one we've ever seen and create a dialogue we never had before about how we treat women. Just like Obama and race, you'll hear a lot of "we have a woman president now so sexism is over." But would it really? Do we as a country view women in the positive light as we claim it to be? Of course, there are real concerns about her policies, her past, and her judgment. Its not sexist to criticize Hillary on real issues but you have to admit that a time when the first woman candidate for POTUS is running against a man who criticizes women based on their appearance, rates them on a 1-10 scale, groped women, touches them inappropriately among other things and has a strong voter base, there is a twisted irony to it.