More than 44,000 people, led by black women, logged onto 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 aims for the Oval Office in the White House’s west wing, reports The Washington Post. A presidential bid could make Ms Harris the first female president of the United States.
Ms Harris today expressed gratitude for the “overwhelming support” and reaffirmed her commitment to seek the Democratic presidential nomination, two days after President Joe Biden, who is seeking re-election, announced his decision to step down. “When I announced my campaign for president, I said I intended to go out and seek 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 put our campaign over the top. I look forward to formally accepting the nomination soon,” she said in a statement.
Tonight, I am proud to have received the support I need to become our party’s nominee.
Over the next few months, I will be traveling across the country talking to Americans about every issue. My full intention is to unite our party and our country and defeat Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/Bsq3N6pMAi
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 23, 2024
“Anyone who doesn’t think that black and brown women are the backbone of this (Democratic) party doesn’t know us,” said Jotaka Addy, founder of Win With Black Women, which describes itself as an intergenerational, intersectional group of black women leaders.
Black women are a major part of the Democratic voting bloc. The call was attended by a number of celebrities and political figures. The call was conducted off the record, with participants speaking in their individual capacity. Attendees described it as an experience similar to church or a family reunion.
Ms. Eddy has been organizing such calls since August 2020. Her organization aims to elect black women across the country and raise their voices against racism and sexism. During the 2020 election, one of her Zoom calls had a maximum of 1,500 people, but Sunday’s call attracted more than 40,000.
But the large number of people presented its own challenges for Zoom. The video communications platform has a capacity of 1,000 people. When that limit was reached, members of Ms. Eadie’s organization contacted Zoom, which upgraded the group to a webinar format, allowing unlimited attendees. “I will forever be grateful to the leadership at Zoom for what they did,” Ms. Eadie said.
“What happened last night was historic,” Ms. Eddy said. “It’s really the culmination of so many black women who have been working, cultivating and building for this moment for years. And last night was also a tribute, a work of commemoration, to 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 most senior black woman in the U.S. House.
