In her concession speech, Vice President Kamala Harris said, “Sometimes the fight takes a while.” Despite significant backing from Black women and men, Kamala Harris was unable to secure a win in her groundbreaking presidential campaign. Meanwhile, Trump, weighed down by controversies that would have derailed other candidates, managed to triumph and ultimately was voted in as the 47th president of the United States. Trump has won 295 electoral votes and five out of seven battleground states (North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin).
On Wednesday, hundreds of supporters gathered on the historic grounds of Howard University in Washington, D.C., to hear from Kamala Harris. As she took the podium, she expressed gratitude and resilience, encouraging her supporters to stay engaged despite the challenges they face. “To the young people watching, it’s okay to feel sad and disappointed, but remember, everything is going to be alright.”
We hear you Kamala. But for now, we are not okay.
Throughout her campaign, Kamala Harris put forward detailed plans to strengthen the middle class, such as offering $25,000 in down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers. She also addressed the unique needs of Black and Latino men, including proposing $20,000 in forgivable loans for Black and Latino entrepreneurs to launch their businesses. Harris promised to be an unwavering advocate for reproductive rights and committed to serving as a president for all Americans, including those who didn’t support her. Above all, she pledged to restore joy and optimism to the political process.
Instead, America chose to support Trump’s Project 2025, which includes police immunity. This means that the next time a police officer kills a Black man, absolutely nothing will happen. He also plans to erase Black history from our schools, place more conservatives on the Supreme Court, end Obamacare, have mass deportations, and support tariffs that will result in higher prices of just about everything. The consequences of this election will be dire, yet we cannot allow ourselves to lay hidden under the wreckage.
As part of unalienable rights, we can vote for whomever we want. Yet, it’s difficult to wrap my head around why anyone would willingly vote for a misogynistic, racist, sexist, felon. What’s disturbing is that the majority of America did.
Kamala Harris almost became the first Black woman president of the United States. We once again underestimated Trump. Monday night, I went to bed with hope of what our country would soon look and feel like with Harris at the helm. It was a different type of joy than I even had for Barack Obama.
Black women were among the last to be given the right to vote in 1965, over 40 years after white women. The fact that someone who represents those who were last to be included in American democracy came so close to saving this country from its absolute worst is painfully ironic.
In the upcoming days, there will be many judgments and opinions about why Harris couldn’t win, as well as why someone like Trump keeps on keeping on. Some will say she should have led more with her race and gender, while others will continue to criticize her capabilities.
Black feminism, particularly the concept of intersectionality, became trendy around 2017. However, Kamala Harris chose a more traditional approach to feminism. Her campaign didn’t lean completely into her race and gender. Rather, she was strategic and tapered certain race and gender expectations while leaving others in pocket to use when needed. I can understand why she favored this route, but ultimately it proved to be a detriment.
We only had the opportunity to invest in Harris’ willingness to make this country better. What I know for sure is she should have won. However, the direction of our country hasn’t changed. We know it should which is why we keep pushing and pursuing the dream. Opportunists like Trump take advantage by concocting an even superior story of how they can make those dreams come true. In the end, certain groups will buy into it and here we are.
The late Maya Angelou said in a 1983 interview, “People are afraid to be pried loose from their ignorance because they know their ignorance so well — they know it better than they know their body odors.” I liken this quote to white women vastly contributing, again, to Trump winning the election. White women gathered on Zoom and told us how they recognized their privilege and the way they have consistently failed to use it as political leverage. They wanted to prove they wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. Well, they lied. For them, race will always supersede gender. Their betrayal is incomprehensible, and we’ll never fall for it again.
Kamala Harris not winning reminds me of experiences Black women face in corporate America. It doesn’t matter how qualified, experienced, or capable we are; it doesn’t matter if we’re in a position of leadership; it doesn’t matter if our plans are clearly better. As Black women, the answer is no.
Black women have played a crucial role in preserving democracy more times than many are willing to recognize. We’re tired and we’re not coming to the rescue anymore because clearly the memo has been lost. What we will do is take much needed rest. Eventually, we will regroup and determine what needs to be done. Kamala Harris has laid tremendous groundwork for us to come back stronger than we were before.
