Howard College, a traditionally Black school in Washington, D.C., is known as the “Mecca.” Since 1867, it has been a gathering place for Black folks within the U.S. and from all around the world. Amongst its alumni are former U.S. Supreme Courtroom Justice Thurgood Marshall and Vice President Kamala Harris. It was the placement the place Harris selected to offer her concession speech on Wednesday.
I used to be there masking the occasion, however it wasn’t my first time visiting Howard’s campus. Whereas attending school at Syracuse College in New York, my buddies and I took street journeys annually to Howard’s homecoming, which simply celebrated its one hundredth anniversary in October. However the jubilant ambiance that often surrounds occasions on The Yard, the primary quad on campus, was changed by a sombreness on Wednesday as crowds gathered to listen to her concession speech.
Individuals of all ages and races stood on campus the place remnants from election evening had been nonetheless seen. Many had been Black ladies who had attended Harris’s watch celebration on Tuesday evening and had returned regardless of not getting a lot sleep.
“I really feel like if I’m gonna be right here to have fun together with her, then I additionally must be right here when she’s accepting her loss on this case,” Gaelyn Smith, 26, a D.C.-native, mentioned.
This type of help has buoyed Harris’s marketing campaign since its outset when some 44,000 members swamped a Zoom name organized by Win With Black Girls founder Jotaka Eaddy. That decision and coinciding ones raised $1.6 million in a single night.
Smith says she additionally voted for Clinton in 2016, and the loss feels related. “A while from now, perhaps I’ll really feel hopeful, perhaps I’ll really feel completely different,” Smith mentioned.
Sheryl Estrada
Deborah, (who didn’t share her final identify), a Black lady in her 70s, and a second-generation native Washingtonian, was at Harris’s concession speech as nicely.
”I felt like this was a great way to carry closure for myself,” she instructed me. She additionally introduced her younger grandson, making it his first political occasion. “The opportunity of having Kamala Harris as our president simply meant the world to me,” she mentioned.
Concerning the subsequent 4 years, Deborah mentioned she has each hope and dread.
“I hope that we will see one thing completely different than what we’ve been proven all through Donald Trump’s marketing campaign,” she mentioned. “However due to the best way he ran his marketing campaign, and the individuals who encompass him, that type of leaves me with somewhat feeling of dread of what would possibly come.”
Ready for Harris to take the stage, I additionally heard the “Skee-Wee” name as members of her sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc greeted one another. Based in 1908 at Howard, it now has greater than 1,000 chapters in 11 international locations and all 50 U.S. states.
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When Harris took the stage and commenced her speech simply earlier than 4:30 p.m. the somber crowd started cheering voraciously, however many additionally shed tears. Harris mentioned accepting the election result’s “a elementary precept of American democracy,” along with loyalty to the U.S. Structure, conscience and God.
“I do know many individuals really feel like we’re getting into a darkish time,” she mentioned throughout the speech. “However for the good thing about us all, I hope that isn’t the case. However right here’s the factor, America, whether it is, allow us to fill the sky with the sunshine of an excellent, good billion of stars — the sunshine of optimism, of religion, of fact and repair.”
As I used to be taking notes, at one level, I put down my pen and pad to consolation a younger supporter who started weeping. Attendees gathered round her with phrases of consolation: “It’s going to be okay” and “We’ve bought this.”
Though supporters grappled with their aspirations for a Harris presidency coming to an finish, there was a way of resilience whereas exiting The Yard, and feeling that the history-making there’ll solely proceed.
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