Former Vice President Kamala Harris has remained largely out of the public eye since losing the November 2024 election to Donald Trump and his return to the White House in January. But, that changed on Thursday.
Speaking at the Leading Women Defined Summit in Dana Point, California, Harris delivered a message of resilience, sisterhood and the power of collective courage in uncertain times.“This is a moment in time where we all need to be in rooms like this to remind ourselves that we have a sisterhood that is strong,” she said. “No one can take our identity or existence from us — because we won’t let them.”
The summit, founded by former BET CEO Debra Lee, gathers influential Black women to discuss leadership, policy, and empowerment. In a video of her remarks obtained byMSNBC and Huffpost,, Harris emphasized the need for unity and action.
“There were many things we knew were gonna happen,” Harris said, referencing the warnings she issued during her whirlwind 2024 campaign after President Joe Biden’s abrupt exit from the race. “I’m not here to say I told you so,” she added, as the audience erupted in applause and cheers.
“This is a very different time,” she said. “A lot has changed.”
She acknowledged the challenges of the moment, pointing to the rollback of key policies and a growing climate of fear. But she also reminded the audience that courage is contagious, and so is the power of sisterhood.
“We are seeing people stay quiet. We are seeing organizations stay quiet. We are seeing capitulation to clearly unconstitutional threats,” she said. “Fear is contagious… but courage is contagious too.”
Less than 100 days into his second term, Trump has dismantled diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, approved mass layoffs of federal employees, and imposed sweeping global tariffs that have sent markets into turmoil.
Despite the political realities, Harris made it clear that Black women—who have always been at the forefront of change—must continue to rise.
“There’s great power in this room. And yes, the world is watching,” she said. “But more importantly, there are people counting on us—to be kind, to be fierce, and to be together.”
