Time to Roll Up Our Sleeves
Vice President Kamala Harris formally conceded the 2024 presidential election, acknowledging her loss to president-elect Donald J. Trump on Wednesday in an emotionally driven speech that urged her supporters to continue fighting for democracy and freedom. Harris gave her final presidential campaign speech at Howard University, her alma mater in Washington, DC. Harris emphasized the importance of accepting the results of the election as a “fundamental principle of American democracy.” Harris touted her allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, her conscience, and to God as the reasons she is “here to say: While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.”
Harris spoke from the Howard Yard where, less than a day beforehand, she and her volunteers expected to speak in celebration of a victory. However, at an election night watch party around 1 a.m., a campaign staffer spoke to a now-somber crowd and announced Harris would no longer appear to speak. At 1:21 a.m., Decision Desk HQ and Fox News projected Trump winning Pennsylvania, getting him 270 electoral votes and making him president-elect.
Standing in the line to enter the venue, the mood was somber and mostly quiet, a stark difference from the energy and excitement that the audience described at her rally in Philadelphia just 48 hours before. The crowd was mostly composed of Howard students and Harris volunteers, who expressed a range of emotions, from confusion and anger to fear and hope. As she spoke, audible sniffles and visible tears were shed. Audience members told The Corsair that a feeling of hopelessness washed over them the previous night. One supporter, asking not to be named, said they were “struggling to wrap their head around the magnitude of our loss.”
Harris addressed this feeling of hopelessness in her speech by saying “Sometimes the fight takes a while,”
expanding on the phrase “When we fight, we win”, that she’d repeated along the campaign trail. The future Harris described fighting for was one that protects women's rights, protects streets and school children from gun violence, and protects fairness, equality and opportunity for all. Harris said, “that is a fight I will never give up.”
Harris continued to encourage her supporters, saying, “Do not despair. This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves. This is a time to organize, to mobilize and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together.”
The speech marked the end of her historic candidacy, an unprecedented 107-day campaign after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Harris thanked her supporters, volunteers, and Tim Walz for “building community and building coalitions, bring people together from every walk of life and background, united by love of [their] country.” Harris continued, saying “We did it with the knowledge that we all have so much more in common than what separates us.”
Ikram Mohamed, a student at Howard University, said it's “obviously sad. This meant so much more than woman as president.” She continued explaining her sadness surrounding the results of the election, then explained the hope she felt after hearing Harris speak. Mohamed continued by saying Harris “opened so many stories, for all women, for all women of color around the nation.” Nashwa Seliman, another Howard student, also said “We are still up, period.”
To end her speech Harris cited an old adage, “Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”
Many attendees spoke about how they fear a dark time is ahead of the nation. Those feelings physically manifested as she walked offstage and people began to leave. Aside from Beyonce’s “Freedom” playing, the walk out of Howard yard was mostly silent, with the occasional sniffle or “its alright” to comfort those who were crying. However, as crowds left, everyone's eyes turned to an elderly woman walking among the crowd. As everyone was somber she was the only one who danced and smiled.
Earlier Wednesday, both President Biden and Vice President Harris called Trump to congratulate him and concede the race. The White House said they promise to fully help Trump’s team with its transition and engage in a peaceful transfer of power. When Harris mentioned Trump the crowd booed, but as she continued, they transitioned to applause.
Harris’ speech marked the end of her unprecedented campaign and historic election cycle.