Kamala Harris today expressed her gratitude for the “overwhelming support.”
New Delhi:
More than 44,000 people, led by black women, joined a Zoom call to support US Vice President Kamala Harris and raised more than $1.5 million for her campaign in three hours as she addressed to the Oval Office, in the West Wing of the White House. The Washington Post reported. A presidential bid could make Harris the first female president of the United States.
Harris today expressed her gratitude for the “overwhelming support” and reaffirmed her commitment to the Democratic presidential nomination, 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 go out and win this nomination. Tonight, I am proud to have secured 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 to the top, and I look forward to accepting formally the appointment soon,” she said in a statement.
Tonight, I am proud to have gained the support necessary to become our party’s nominee.
Over the next few months, I’ll be traveling across the country talking to Americans about everything that’s at stake. I have every intention of uniting our party and our nation and defeating 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 and intersectional Black women leaders, said, “Anyone who doesn’t think that 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 conference call, which attracted several celebrities and political figures, was held unofficially, with participants speaking in their personal capacity. Participants described it as feeling like a church or family reunion.
Eaddy has been organizing these types of 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, the largest number of participants she had on a Zoom call was 1,500 people, but Sunday’s call had more than 40,000 participants.
But the sheer volume of people presented its own challenges for Zoom. The video communication platform has a capacity for 1,000 people. When that limit was reached, members of Ms. Eaddy’s organization contacted Zoom, which updated the group to a webinar format, allowing for unlimited participants. “I am forever grateful to Zoom leadership for what they have done,” said Eaddy.
“What happened last night was historic,” Eaddy added. “It really is the culmination of so many Black women over years and years and years who have worked and cultivated and created for this moment. And last night was also a tribute, a work for them and their sacrifice.”
Notable speakers included Bernice King, the youngest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr, and 85-year-old Democratic Senator Maxine Waters, the longest-serving Black woman in the U.S. House.
This story originally appeared on Ndtv.com read the full story
