Kamala Harris today expressed her gratitude for the “overwhelming support.”
New Delhi:
More than 44,000 people, led by Black women, logged into a Zoom call to support US Vice President Kamala Harris, raising more than $1.5 million for her campaign in three hours as she aims for the Oval Office in the West Wing of the White House. the Washington Post reported. The presidential bid could make Ms. Harris the first female president of the United States.
Ms. Harris today expressed her gratitude for the “overwhelming support” and reaffirmed her commitment to the Democratic presidential nominee, just two days after President Joe Biden, who was seeking re-election, announced his decision to step aside. “When I announced my campaign for president, I said I intended to earn this nomination. Tonight, I am proud that I have received the broad support needed to become our party’s nominee, and as a daughter of California, I am proud that my home state’s delegation helped take our campaign over the top . I look forward to formally accepting the nomination soon,” she said in a statement.
Tonight, I am proud that I have earned the support necessary to become our party’s nominee.
In the coming months, I’ll be traveling around the country talking to Americans about everything that’s at stake. I fully intend to unite our party and our nation and defeat Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/Bsq3N6pMAi
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 23, 2024
Jotaka Eaddy, founder of ‘Win With Black Women’, which describes itself as a collective of intergenerational, intersectional black women leaders, said: “Anyone who doesn’t think black and brown women are the backbone of this (democratic) party, they don’t know us.”
Black women are an important Democratic voting bloc. The call, which attracted several celebrities and political figures, was conducted unofficially, with participants speaking in their personal capacity. Those present describe it as feeling like a church or a family reunion.
Ms Eaddy has been organizing such calls since August 2020. Her organization aims to elect Black women across the country and speaks out against racism and sexism. During the 2020 election, there were 1,500 people on one Zoom call, but on Sunday’s call there were more than 40,000 people in attendance.
But the sheer volume of people posed its own challenges for Zoom. The video communication platform has a capacity of 1,000 people. When that limit was reached, members of Ms. Eaddy’s organization contacted Zoom, which upgraded the group to a webinar format, allowing for an unlimited number of participants. “I am forever grateful to Zoom leadership for what they have done,” Ms. Eaddy said.
“What happened last night was historic,” Ms Eaddy added. “It’s truly the culmination of so many Black women who have spent years working, cultivating and creating for this moment. And last night was also a tribute, a work for them and their sacrifice.”
Notable speakers included Bernice King, the youngest child of Martin Luther King Jr., and 85-year-old Democratic Senator Maxine Waters, the oldest black woman in the U.S. House of Representatives.
