Kamala Harris, the first black woman and person of Indian descent to be nominated on a major political party ticket in U.S. history, accepted the (uncontested) nomination as Vice Presidential candidate of the Democratic Party.
“My mother taught me that service to others gives life purpose and meaning. And oh, how I wish she were here tonight, but I know she’s looking down on me from above. I keep thinking about that 25-year-old Indian woman — all of five feet tall — who gave birth to me at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, California. On that day, she probably could have never imagined that I would be standing before you now speaking these words: I accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States of America,” Ms. Harris said in a televised address from Delaware during Day Three of the Democratic National Convention.
In her acceptance speech, Ms. Harris re-visited a theme she has talked about in her book The Truths We Hold : her mother raised her and her sister to be “proud, strong Black women” and to “know and be proud” of their Indian heritage.
On the state of the nation under the current administration, Ms. Harris said, “The constant chaos leaves us adrift. The incompetence makes us feel afraid. The callousness makes us feel alone. It's a lot.”
As a U.S. Senator, Ms. Harris who had, earlier this year, introduced legislation to examine and respond to the race dimensions of the COVID-19 burden, said at her speech that a disproportionately high number of racial minorities were being impacted by the diseases due to “structural racism” .
“This virus has no eyes, and yet it knows exactly how we see each other — and how we treat each other, she said. “And let’s be clear — there is no vaccine for racism. We’ve gotta do the work.”
‘Come up with a voting plan’
At the opening of the virtual convention, Ms. Harris delivered a recorded video message addressing concerns around voting. President Donald Trump has been accused by Democrats and civil rights group of attempting to make voting in the November 3 election difficult. On Tuesday, Postmaster General LouisDeJoy, a recent Trump appointee, walked back cost-cutting measures, postponing them until after the election after intense criticism and potential legal action for what was seen as an attempt to interfere with the elections.
“I think we need to ask ourselves, ‘Why don’t they want us to vote?’ ” Ms. Harris said. “Each of us needs a plan … a voting plan. Joe and I want to make sure you’re prepared.”
Former U.S. Secretary of State and 2016 Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton also stressed the importance of voting. Dressed in white, to mark the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote, Ms. Clinton said of the people who had come to her and said they should have voted in 2016: “ This can’t be another woulda-coulda-shoulda election. If you’re voting by mail, request your ballot now, and send it back as soon as you can. If you vote in person, do it early. Bring a friend and wear a mask. Become a poll worker.”
Although she won the popular vote by just under 3 million, Ms. Clinton lost the Electoral College vote — and hence the Presidency — to Mr. Trump in 2016.
“Remember: Joe and Kamala can win 3 million more votes and still lose. Take. It. From. Me. We need numbers so overwhelming Trump can’t sneak or steal his way to victory,” she said on Wednesday.
House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi – also dressed in white – dwelt on women-specific policies in Mr. Biden’s agenda, which she listed as: the protection of abortion rights, pay equality and guarantee to safe and affordable child care. “As Speaker, I’ve seen first-hand Donald Trump’s disrespect for facts, for working families, and for women in particular — disrespect written into his policies toward our health and our rights, not just his conduct,” she said.
Apart from former U.S. President Barack Obama, other speakers at this session of the virtual convention included former Democratic Presidential candidate (primary level) Elizabeth Warren and former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, a survivor of gun violence who spoke on gun control. Part of the programming included a letter from an 11-year-old girl, whose father had voted for Trump in 2016 and whose mother was deported by the Trump administration.
