By Tanu Henry

California Black Media

At a July 22 rally in San Francisco — where U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris served as district attorney from 2004 to 2001 before becoming California’s attorney general — Bay Area elected officials, advocates and other stakeholders showed support for one of their own.

“Right now. she needs us more than ever,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed told a cheering crowd of well-wishers.

“We, as Democrats, we don’t have time to waste,” Breed leaned in. “Kamala Harris is the person.”

The event was held one day after President Joe Biden announced his decision to drop out of the 2024 race for president and endorse Harris.

In various cities across California and around the country, Black women are coming together and echoing a similar level of passion to Breed’s as they express their full-hearted support of Harris.

California State Controller Malia Cohen — a former San Francisco official herself — called on the audience to commit to Harris’s winning against GOP nominee, former President Donald Trump.

“One thing we have on this stage is the united understanding about what we need to do, which is get Harris elected,” Cohen told the crowd.

On July 22, the California Black Women’s Collective PAC (CBWCPAC) wrote an open letter to Harris signed by more than 1,300 Black women from around California.

“As the first woman, the first Black woman, and the first South Asian woman to hold the office of vice president, you have not only broken historical barriers. You have also served as a beacon of hope and inspiration for countless individuals who see themselves reflected in your journey,” the CBWCPAC letter read.

On June 22, Kellie Todd Griffin, convener of CBWCPAC, organized a call with over 10,000 Black women from across California. Another 9,932 registered for the call but could not log on because of capacity limits.

“We stand at a crossroads in our nation’s history, where the path we choose will shape the destiny of future generations,” said Todd Griffin.

Todd Griffin added that California Black Women are rallying behind Harris “united in our shared vision for a brighter, more inclusive future.”

We know that our greatest strength is the way in which we use our collective power to transform the nation into the perfect union it proclaims to be. Vice President Harris is not just a candidate for the President of the United States; she is a catalyst for the change that is needed now,” Todd Griffin stated.

The night before, an estimated 90,000 Black women and their allies – about 44,000 of them on Zoom and tens of thousands more on other digital platforms – rallied to show their support for Harris.

Participants on the historic Zoom call, organized by #WinWithBlackWoman, raised more than $1 million for Harris in three hours.

Among the women on the call were U.S. Reps Maxine Waters (D-CA-43), Barbara Lee (D-CA-12), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30) and Joyce Beatty (D-OH-3); former Democratic National Convention Chair Donna Brazile; the Rev. Berniece King, daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr; D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Maryland first lady Dawn Moore.

“We expressed our gratitude for the extraordinary work President Biden has done, while we affirmed our individual commitment to stand united in unwavering support of Vice President Kamala Harris as the leader our nation needs,” said Jotaka Eaddy, founder of #WinWithBlackWomen.

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