Waves of emotion washed over DeJuana Thompson as she stood in the convention hall in Chicago last month watching Vice President Kamala Harris become the first Black woman nominated for the presidency by a major political party.
“I absolutely was overwhelmed with what can only be described as ancestral pride,” said Thompson, who lives in Birmingham, Alabama.
But “literally two seconds” later, reality hit her, she said. “I was like, ‘Lord, we have work to do.’”
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Around the country, Harris’ historic candidacy has unleashed a surge of activism among Black women like Thompson, who have long been a key part of the Democratic coalition but are now working overtime to advance the nomination of a woman who also shares their ancestry. On Thursday night, Oprah Winfrey – in collaboration with a group known as Win With Black Women – will hold a massive, virtual rally, aimed at uniting groups of Harris supporters to turn out the vote. Harris is slated to participate.
Tens of thousands of people already have expressed interest in the “Unite for America” livestream – which will take place across several platforms, ranging from YouTube to Twitch, organizers said. The event, which kicks off at 8 p.m. ET Thursday, is an outgrowth of a Zoom meeting that Win With Black Women hosted within hours of President Joe Biden ending his reelection bid on July 21.
That event quickly ballooned to more than 90,000 participants – between those on the Zoom and those tuning in through other means – delivering an early and powerful sign of Black female support for Harris’ historic bid.
“There is a real clear understanding that this election is a monumental election,” Win With Black Women founder Jotaka Eaddy told CNN.
Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority members are seen at a watch party in Pleasanton, California, for Harris’ convention speech on August 22, 2024. Juliana Yamada/AP
Groups led by Black women also are launching new political ventures to aid Harris. Alpha Kappa Alpha, the historically Black sorority Harris joined as a student at Howard University, recently created its first political action committee. Another Black sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, is undertaking its first ad campaign to get out the vote, with commercials running through September. The National Council of Negro Women, meanwhile, has joined together with its member chapters and dozens of affiliated groups, such as the Black youth organization Jack and Jill of America, on a drive to register Black women and young voters between the ages of 17 and 24.
“It hits differently when someone who looks like me is at the top of the ticket,” said Daria Dawson, executive director of the voter mobilization group America Votes and the first African American woman to lead the organization. “There’s a renewed sense of urgency.”
