Kamala Harris: I'm Grateful That Black Women Have Had My Back
"Black women marched and organized and fought to give us the right to vote. Many never got to vote themselves. But they pressed on knowing that, one day, Black women would be a force in our democracy."— Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris
2020 has been a lot. All at once, we are experiencing a deadly pandemic, an economic recession, a climate crisis, and an overdue reckoning with systemic racism. And nobody understands the pain of these crises—and the need for a new president—better than Black women.
Donald Trump’s failure to get the coronavirus under control has cost more than 230,000 lives—with Black Americans dying at two times the rate of others. It has led to the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression—hitting communities of color the hardest. Roughly one in five Black adults report not having enough to eat, one in four Black renters say they’re behind on rent, and over the summer a staggering 40% of Black-owned businesses said they didn’t think they would be able to reopen.
Back in January, President Trump knew that this virus posed a severe threat to our country—and he lied about it. Nine months into this pandemic, he still doesn’t have a plan to control it. Instead, he’s trying to get the Supreme Court to end the Affordable Care Act, which would rip away people’s health insurance and remove protections for the millions of Black people with preexisting conditions.
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Part 1: COVID-19 The Black South
ESSENCE does an investigation into how COVID-19 disproportionately affects the Black community, especially in the southern states.
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After almost four years in office, Donald Trump has no record to stand on when it comes to the Black community. As usual, he’s all talk. Instead of even attempting to tackle our challenges and lift us up, we have a President who stokes fear and division—one who fans the flames of racism and refuses to condemn white supremacists or say Black lives matter.
We cannot afford four more years of Donald Trump. We must elect Joe Biden.
Joe and I have a plan to contain this virus with a national strategy that includes masks, widespread free testing, contact tracing, and a free and safe vaccine. We’ll make sure our frontline workers, many of whom are Black, have the personal protective equipment and support they need. We will provide schools and businesses with clear, evidence-based guidelines to reopen safely—and the resources to do so.
We will build back our economy to support working families. We’ll eliminate the Trump tax cuts for big corporations and the top 1%, and won’t raise taxes one cent on folks making less than $400,000. We’ll invest in lower healthcare costs and better schools, build on the ACA with a Medicare-like public option, and fight for reproductive justice by addressing maternal mortality among Black women, codifying Roe v. Wade, and repealing the Hyde Amendment.
Former vice-president and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden (L) and Senator from California and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris greet supporters outside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, at the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention, held virtually amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, on August 20, 2020. (Photo by Olivier DOULIERY / AFP) (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)
The pandemic has exposed how Black women shoulder much of the burden of caregiving of children and aging loved ones. Joe and I will ensure access to paid family and medical leave, and expand childcare and universal preschool. We will treat caregivers and early childhood educators—most of whom are women of color—with the respect and dignity they deserve, with better pay and benefits, training and career ladders, and other workplace rights.
We’ll work to root out the systemic racism in our courtrooms, our prisons, and our criminal justice system. In our first 100 days in office, we will create a national police oversight commission. We’ll get every police department in the country to undertake a comprehensive review of their hiring, training, and de-escalation practices, and work with local police departments on real community policing. We’ll investigate systemic police misconduct and require departments to reform.
In our first 100 days in office, we will create a national police oversight commission.
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Above all, we will work to unite the American people—people of all ages, races, and backgrounds—around the belief that we can make progress together if we commit to the ideals that we share.
But Joe and I can’t do this alone—and we’re grateful that Black women across the country have had our backs. They are doing their jobs, caring for their families, and mobilizing voters to get out the vote and win this election. And we need you, too. We need you to vote in numbers nobody has ever seen.
Black women hold the power in this election. So we need to talk to everybody in our lives, including young people, to encourage them to vote. We need to get our families, our neighbors, our whole villages to the polls.
That’s why generations of Black women marched and organized and fought to give us this right. Many never got to vote themselves. But they pressed on knowing that, one day, Black women would be a force in our democracy. That, when it mattered most, we would be the ones to mobilize our communities and vote for what’s right: honesty and integrity, decency and dignity, equality and justice.
Generations of Black women marched and organized and fought to give us this right…knowing that, one day, Black women would be a force in our democracy.
Those are the shoulders that I stand on—that we all stand on. And we owe it to those brave, bold Black women who came before us to meet this moment with the same energy and determination that they met theirs. To paraphrase one of my heroes, Constance Baker Motley, the ideals of political equality have a moral luster that’s everlasting. Those ideals are what we fight for.
This is our time. Let’s use our vote, our power, to choose the America we can be—and the future our children and grandchildren deserve.
Making its red-carpet debut, the first-ever Essies’ Choice Award presented by Diet Coke® stole the spotlight at the ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards this year. It invited guests to enjoy the moment and take a break–and there’s nothing like a Diet Coke® break.
On the pulse of what matters most, this special award gives our amazing audience the power to vote who they believe is the rising star. Showcased at one of the most anticipated events in Black Hollywood during Oscar week, this award is a people’s pick and highlights what moves them into spaces of joy, power and action. And what better woman to host this event than Kamie Crawford? The second African American to hold the title of 2010 Miss Teen USA, she has worked as a host and co-host for various TV shows, including MTV’s Catfish: The TV Show. She’s also empowering others through her mental health and body positivity advocacy. Let’s Meet the Nominees!
Best known for her breakout role in Middle of Nowhere, Emayatzy Corinealdi is a versatile actress who brings depth and authenticity to every character she portrays. This Independent Spirit Award nominee can seamlessly navigate between independent films and mainstream projects, like her incredible work on Reasonable Doubt on Hulu.
A Brooklyn native, Dominique Fishback is an accomplished spoken word poet, playwright and actress. She played Billie Rowan on Show Me a Hero, Darlene on The Deuce, and Deborah Johnson in Judas and the Black Messiah. She also penned a groundbreaking one-woman show, SUBVERTED, about the destruction of Black identity in America.
The talented cast of BET Plus’s hit show Sistas brings to life the heartfelt, relatable, and often humorous journey of modern Black women navigating love, friendship, and career. Featuring KJ Smith, Mignon Von, Ebony Obsidian, Crystal Renee Hayslett, and Novi Brown, their authentic portrayals of sisterhood have resonated deeply with audiences, making it a fan-favorite.
And the Winner is….
The cast of Sistas! Together, they shine as a testament to the power of connection and representation on screen. When Kamie announced the winner, these women were tearful and deeply appreciative, it meant so much to them to be honored in this way—especially by their incredible fans. “We will not take it for granted and we will continue to show up,” said KJ Smith.
Check out the video for more from the red carpet and interviews with this amazing ensemble cast—the winners of the first-ever Essies’ Choice Award presented by Diet Coke®.
