August 20, 2020

The Honorable Kamala Harris

Nominee for Vice President

of the United States

Democratic National Convention

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Greetings America.

It is truly an honor to be speaking with you.

That I am here tonight is a testament to the dedication of generations before me. Women and men who believed so fiercely in the promise of equality, liberty, and justice for all.

This week marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment. And we celebrate the women who fought for that right.

Yet so many of the Black women who helped secure that victory were still prohibited from voting, long after its ratification.

But they were undeterred.

Without fanfare or recognition, they organized, testified, rallied, marched, and fought—not just for their vote, but for a seat at the table. These women and the generations that followed worked to make democracy and opportunity real in the lives of all of us who followed.

They paved the way for the trailblazing leadership of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

And these women inspired us to pick up the torch, and fight on.

Women like Mary Church Terrell and Mary McCleod Bethune. Fannie Lou Hamer and Diane Nash. Constance Baker Motley and Shirley Chisholm.

We’re not often taught their stories. But as Americans, we all stand on their shoulders.

There’s another woman, whose name isn’t known, whose story isn’t shared. Another woman whose shoulders I stand on. And that’s my mother—Shyamala Gopalan Harris.

She came here from India at age 19 to pursue her dream of curing cancer. At the University of California Berkeley, she met my father, Donald Harris—who had come from Jamaica to study economics.

They fell in love in that most American way—while marching together for justice in the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

In the streets of Oakland and Berkeley, I got a stroller’s-eye view of people getting into what the great John Lewis called “good trouble.”

When I was 5, my parents split and my mother raised us mostly on her own. Like so many mothers, she worked around the clock to make it work—packing lunches before we woke up— and paying bills after we went to bed. Helping us with homework at the kitchen table—and shuttling us to church for choir practice.

She made it look easy, though I know it never was.

My mother instilled in my sister, Maya, and me the values that would chart the course of our lives.

She raised us to be proud, strong Black women. And she raised us to know and be proud of our Indian heritage.

She taught us to put family first—the family you’re born into and the family you choose.

Family, is my husband Doug, who I met on a blind date set up by my best friend. Family is our beautiful children, Cole and Ella, who as you just heard, call me Momala. Family is my sister. Family is my best friend, my nieces and my godchildren. Family is my uncles, my aunts—my chitthis. Family is Mrs. Shelton—my second mother who lived two doors down and helped raise me. Family is my beloved Alpha Kappa Alpha...our Divine 9…and my HBCU brothers and sisters. Family is the friends I turned to when my mother—the most important person in my life—passed away from cancer.

And even as she taught us to keep our family at the center of our world, she also pushed us to see a world beyond ourselves.

She taught us to be conscious and compassionate about the struggles of all people. To believe public service is a noble cause and the fight for justice is a shared responsibility.

That led me to become a lawyer, a District Attorney, Attorney General, and a United States Senator.

And at every step of the way, I’ve been guided by the words I spoke from the first time I stood in a courtroom: Kamala Harris, For the People.

I’ve fought for children, and survivors of sexual assault. I’ve fought against transnational gangs. I took on the biggest banks, and helped take down one of the biggest for-profit colleges.

I know a predator when I see one.

My mother taught me that service to others gives life purpose and meaning. And oh, how I wish she were here tonight but I know she’s looking down on me from above. I keep thinking about that 25-year-old Indian woman—all of five feet tall—who gave birth to me at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, California.

On that day, she probably could have never imagined that I would be standing before you now speaking these words: I accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States of America.

I do so, committed to the values she taught me. To the Word that teaches me to walk by faith, and not by sight. And to a vision passed on through generations of Americans—one that Joe Biden shares. A vision of our nation as a Beloved Community—where all are welcome, no matter what we look like, where we come from, or who we love.

A country where we may not agree on every detail, but we are united by the fundamental belief that every human being is of infinite worth, deserving of compassion, dignity and respect.

A country where we look out for one another, where we rise and fall as one, where we face our challenges, and celebrate our triumphs—together.

Today... that country feels distant.

Donald Trump's failure of leadership has cost lives and livelihoods.

If you're a parent struggling with your child’s remote learning, or you’re a teacher struggling on the other side of that screen, you know that what we’re doing right now isn’t working.

And we are a nation that’s grieving. Grieving the loss of life, the loss of jobs, the loss of opportunities, the loss of normalcy. And yes, the loss of certainty.

And while this virus touches us all, let’s be honest, it is not an equal opportunity offender. Black, Latino and Indigenous people are suffering and dying disproportionately.

This is not a coincidence. It is the effect of structural racism.

Of inequities in education and technology, health care and housing, job security and transportation.

The injustice in reproductive and maternal health care.In the excessive use of force by police.And in our broader criminal justice system.

This virus has no eyes, and yet it knows exactly how we see each other—and how we treat each other.

And let’s be clear—there is no vaccine for racism. We’ve gotta do the work.

For George Floyd. For Breonna Taylor. For the lives of too many others to name.For our children.For all of us.

We’ve gotta do the work to fulfill that promise of equal justice under law. Because, none of us are free...until all of us are free...

We're at an inflection point.

The constant chaos leaves us adrift. The incompetence makes us feel afraid. The callousness makes us feel alone.

It's a lot.

And here's the thing: We can do better and deserve so much more.

We must elect a president who will bring something different, something better, and do the important work. A president who will bring all of us together—Black, White, Latino, Asian, Indigenous—to achieve the future we collectively want.

We must elect Joe Biden.

I knew Joe as Vice President. I knew Joe on the campaign trail. But I first got to know Joe as the father of my friend.

Joe’s son, Beau, and I served as Attorneys General of our states, Delaware and California. During the Great Recession, we spoke on the phone nearly every day, working together to win back billions of dollars for homeowners from the big banks that foreclosed on people’s homes.

And Beau and I would talk about his family.

How, as a single father, Joe would spend 4 hours every day riding the train back and forth from Wilmington to Washington. Beau and Hunter got to have breakfast every morning with their dad. They went to sleep every night with the sound of his voice reading bedtime stories. And while they endured an unspeakable loss, these two little boys Always knew that they were deeply, unconditionally loved.

And what also moved me about Joe is the work he did, as he went back and forth. This is the leader who wrote the Violence Against Women Act—and enacted the Assault Weapons Ban. Who, as Vice President, implemented The Recovery Act, which brought our country back from The Great Recession. He championed The Affordable Care Act, protecting millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions. Who spent decades promoting American values and interests around the world, standing up with our allies and standing up to our adversaries.

Right now, we have a president who turns our tragedies into political weapons.

Joe will be a president who turns our challenges into purpose.

Joe will bring us together to build an economy that doesn’t leave anyone behind. Where a good-paying job is the floor, not the ceiling.

Joe will bring us together to end this pandemic and make sure that we are prepared for the next one.

Joe will bring us together to squarely face and dismantle racial injustice, furthering the work of generations.

Joe and I believe that we can build that Beloved Community, one that is strong and decent, just and kind. One in which we all can see ourselves.

That’s the vision that our parents and grandparents fought for. The vision that made my own life possible. The vision that makes the American promise—for all its complexities and imperfections—a promise worth fighting for.

Make no mistake, the road ahead will not be not easy. We will stumble. We may fall short. But I pledge to you that we will act boldly and deal with our challenges honestly. We will speak truths. And we will act with the same faith in you that we ask you to place in us.

We believe that our country—all of us, will stand together for a better future. We already are.

We see it in the doctors, the nurses, the home health care workers and the frontline workers who are risking their lives to save people they’ve never met.

We see it in the teachers and truck drivers, the factory workers and farmers, the postal workers and the Poll workers, all putting their own safety on the line to help us get through this pandemic.

And we see it in so many of you who are working, not just to get us through our current crises, but to somewhere better.

There's something happening, all across the country.

It's not about Joe or me.

It's about you.

It’s about us. People of all ages and colors and creeds who are, yes, taking to the streets, and also persuading our family members, rallying our friends, organizing our neighbors, and getting out the vote.

And we’ve shown that, when we vote, we expand access to health care, expand access to the ballot box, and ensure that more working families can make a decent living.

I’m inspired by a new generation of leadership. You are pushing us to realize the ideals of our nation, pushing us to live the values we share: decency and fairness, justice and love.

You are the patriots who remind us that to love our country is to fight for the ideals of our country.

In this election, we have a chance to change the course of history. We’re all in this fight.

You, me, and Joe—together.

What an awesome responsibility. What an awesome privilege.

So, let’s fight with conviction. Let’s fight with hope. Let’s fight with confidence in ourselves, and a commitment to each other. To the America we know is possible. The America, we love.

Years from now, this moment will have passed. And our children and our grandchildren will look in our eyes and ask us: Where were you when the stakes were so high?

They will ask us, what was it like?

And we will tell them. We will tell them, not just how we felt.

We will tell them what we did.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America. 

August 13, 2020

By Danny J. Bakewell, Jr.

Executive Editor

By all accounts, Joe Biden should easily walk into the White House following the November elections.  Donald Trump should be a one term-president, and America could be rid of the nightmare we’ve been in for the past 3 ¾ years, leading to the end of his four-year term. 

On Tuesday, August 11, 2020 former Vice President Joe Biden took one step closer to becoming the 46th President of the United States by selecting California Senator Kamala Harris as his Democratic running mate.  A historic selection, Harris becomes the first Black woman to run on the Democratic Party’s national ticket for vice president.

In selecting Harris, Biden has put aside issues which came up when the two candidates debated when competing for the presidential nomination.  Biden selected his former presidential rival over a host of other highly qualified women. 

He has, however, selected a seasoned politician who understands the challenges of competing in a national campaign. 

Senator Harris is 55-years-old.  Born in October of 1964, she is the last of the Baby Boomers and born on the cusp of Generation X.  She is part of the next generation; a generation not quite ready to retire, but who contemplates how they will make ends meet if they do. 

Furthermore, Harris is a mother of young adult children who represent a generation of Millennials, uncertain about surviving in a country that is struggling with unemployment, skyrocketing-housing costs, and college tuition loans, leaving them burdening in debt before they ever really get started in life.

Senator Harris checks all of the boxes that Biden needs to ensure victory come November 3, 2020.  Harris joins Biden in the 2020 race at a moment of unprecedented national crisis. COVID-19 has claimed the lives of more than 160,000 people in the U.S.  Furthermore, the U.S. is facing a major racism crisis, where the treatment of African Americans by the police and within society in general, have become major social issues in America and throughout the presidential campaign.

Joe Biden is 77-years-old and if he wins, will have turned 78 before his inauguration.   By the end of his first term, he will be 82.  He needs to have a running mate who is part of and can relate to the younger generations of voters. 

Obviously, putting together a team that will win in November is key for Biden, but America also has to have confidence in the question no one ever wants to ask. “If something happens to the President, is the Veep ready and able to step in?” In this coming election, America does not only have to ask themselves, “Trump or Biden” but are also forced to ask themselves, “Pence or Harris?”  Obviously, the answer is Harris. 

Trump’s poor handling of the nation’s health crisis and the issues on race have given Biden an opportunity to seize even more momentum and strengthen his position against Trump. In adding Harris to the ticket, he can point to her relatively centrist record on issues such as health care and her background in law enforcement in the nation’s largest state.  Harris also will inspire the Black vote, a vote that paved the way for former President Barack Obama, and a vote desperately needed to put Joe Biden in the White House.

The African American voters of South Carolina revived the Biden presidential campaign, a campaign that was appearing to be fledgling.  This kind of spike in support and the ability to inspire African Americans to show up to the polls (or absentee ballot) in the November election will carry a Biden-Harris team to victory.  The Democratic Party cannot afford to have a traditional and unmotivating ticket, which caused so many voters to stay home in 2012, allowing Donald Trump to sneak into the presidency.

Although there were other potential nominees for VP, in the end, it was the first time Senator from California who got the nod. 

Senator Harris was the strongest candidate on the list and is the clearest path to victory in November.  Her political ascent has been nothing but phenomenal.  She worked for the San Francisco city attorney before she was twice-elected as the City’s district attorney.  She won a tightly contested race to become California Attorney General (She won by less than 1% - the Los Angeles Sentinel was the first media outlet in the nation to declare her the winner).   By anyone’s observation, she has been a fighter for the people, and all things being considered, she ran a pretty viable presidential campaign as well.  She has also been at the forefront for police reform and criminal justice reform. Biden calls Harris “a fearless fighter for the little guy.”

“My hat’s off to Vice President Joe Biden for selecting my friend, Kamala Harris as his nominee for vice president.  Kamala is a strong and amazing woman; she has the compassion and leadership skills necessary to help lead this nation.  We are experiencing unprecedented challenges within this country.  Between this pandemic and the issues of race and police brutality, and all of the other challenges that we face as a nation, there is no finer choice to help get the country back on course than Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.  Let’s all get out and vote,” stated Danny J. Bakewell, Sr. – civil rights activist and executive Publisher of the Los Angeles Sentinel & Chairman of Bakewell Media.

In a recent poll taken by the University of Virginia – Center for Politics, it was Kamala Harris who led all other candidates, including Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Val Demmings [FL] and Stacey Abrams as the potential vice-presidential nominee.    The poll points out some concerns that her time serving as a DA and as an AG may turn off some liberals, but surely not enough to detract them to the Trump/Pence ticket.  

On the positive side, her actual friendship with Biden and her close relationship to former President Barack Obama are BIG plusses.  She will shine under the bright lights of a Presidential campaign and most believe that in a vice-presidential debate, Harris would as one Sentinel reader put it, “Whoop Mike Pence’ Ass!”

Biden is the Democratic Party’s nominee, largely because of the support he has garnered across the nation from the African American Community. 

In late February, 2020, the African American community became Biden’s base when South Carolina Congressional Representative James Clyburn and his endorsement catapulted Biden to victory in the state and pulled the former vice president’s campaign out of a tailspin that rocketed him past Pete Butigieg, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who had all defeated Biden in the Iowa Caucuses just a few weeks earlier.

Clyburn told MSNBC that he had received a call earlier in the day to inform him of his pick. 

Minority Whip Clyburn said, “He was overjoyed with the selection and was confident that Senator Harris was the right choice to serve as his running mate.”

Senator Harris has proven herself to be a seasoned politician and tireless campaigner, and will add a tremendous boost to energizing voters to defeat Donald Trump this November. 

Her no-nonsense approach and seasoned litigator skills in last summer’s debate was a clear indication to the nation that Harris is a force on the national scene and worthy of her vice-presidential selection.  The former California attorney general even challenged Biden during the Democratic presidential primary debate about his opposition to school busing and his relationship to White segregationist in the 70’s when African American’s were lobbying for busing as a way to fight segregation. 

But, that brief glimpse into a tenuous moment between the Biden and Harris did not stop Biden from selecting Harris as his running mate and the next Vice President of the United States.  In today’s political climate, a little agitation is good; it helps get the dirt out. 

Because of the many issues that face our country today, from police and justice system reform, to financial recovery from the Corona Virus, to the reality that more Black and Brown people are dying from COVID-19, we need a candidate who is in touch, who brings a pulse to the community while addressing our needs.

Harris is leader who comes from a generation that understands the need to bridge the gap between the haves and the have nots; a leader who is not afraid to have the uncomfortable conversations about race and racism in America. 

August 20, 2020

By Tanu Henry

California Black Media 

Family members, friends, former colleagues and other loved ones across California were shocked to learn about the passing of former California Assemblymember Gwen Moore on Aug. 19. Her family has not yet announced the cause of her death.  

Moore was first elected to the state legislature in 1978 and served for 16 years until 1994, representing California’s 49th district (redistricted and renumbered in 1990 as the 47th district), which currently includes Long Beach, Catalina Island and parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties.  

While serving in the Assembly, Moore, introduced over 400 bills that were signed into law. She also served as Majority Whip and was a member of a number of influential committees, including the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee.  

Moore was the architect and political force behind California General Order 156. It is a state supplier diversity program that has, over the years, strengthened and stabilized a number of California Black-owned, Women-owned and other minority-owned small businesses by helping them secure lucrative state contracts.  

1n 1994, Moore resigned from the Assembly to run for Secretary of State. Although she didn’t win that race, Moore began to pursue other opportunities outside of elected office that influenced state policy and impacted the lives of people.  

The founder and Chief Executive Officer of Los Angeles-based GeM Communications Group, Moore was a sought-after consultant and worked with several prominent clients across the state.  

Her family, relatives, former colleagues and friends across California and the United States reached out to each other as the shocking news of her unexpected death was shared across her political, business and social circles. 

Moore served on numerous boards. Among them were the California State Bar Board of Trustees, the California Small Business Association board and the national board of the NAACP. She was also First Vice President of the California State Conference of the NAACP, Vice Chair of the California Utility Diversity Council and Chairwoman of the California Black Business Association. 

For her work in California and across the United States, Moore won numerous national and local awards, including honors from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.  

California Black media will continue to follow Hon. Moore’s death with updates, tributes from loved ones and news about her final arrangements.

August 13, 2020

City News Service

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating an apparent “swatting” call that brought armed officers today to the Mid-City home of Melina Abdullah, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles.

Officers were sent shortly before 9 a.m. to Abdullah's home near Crenshaw and West Washington boulevards on a call that three people were being held hostage by a man with a gun, according to the LAPD.

“After the officers were able to verify the safety of the residents, the on-scene investigation determined the call was a hoax,'' according to an LAPD statement that said the Major Crimes Division will assist in the investigation.

While police were at the scene, Abdullah repeatedly expressed concern for the safety of her children and fear that officers would escalate the situation, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Streaming live video via Instagram showing armed officers staging outside, she said: ``I don't know why they are here. They have guns pointed at my house. There's a helicopter overhead. Nobody's knocked at the door, but apparently, they've made announcements for people to come out with our hands up. My children are in the house. My children are in the house. I don't know what this is.''

An officer on a loudspeaker could then be heard specifically identifying Abdullah's address from outside, before saying, “Come out with your hands up. ... You are surrounded.''

About an hour later, Abdullah spoke about the incident at an event designed to show support for naming her dean of a new school of ethnic studies at Cal State Los Angeles, where she is a professor of Pan-African Studies.

According to KPCC/LAist reporter Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, she told attendees that officers told her they responded to a call of a hostage situation.

“We believe it's another tactic that's being used to block us from ushering in Black freedom,'' she said.

Swatting refers to a prank emergency call made to attract armed police to a particular address without cause -- a dangerous act given the potential confusion it causes among all parties and the history of tactical teams using deadly force.

City Councilman Herb Wesson called for an immediate investigation into the incident.