Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Sen. Kamala Harris said the nation is at an "inflection point" as she accepted the nomination to be the Democratic candidate for vice president at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night.
Harris, the first Black and South Asian woman to be on a major party ticket, delivered a speech recognizing her mother's role in her political career while also stating that President Donald Trump's "failure of leadership" has cost lives and livelihoods, particularly amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We've got to do the work to fulfill that promise of equal justice under law. Because none of us are free until all of us are free," she said. "We're at an inflection point. The constant chaos leaves us adrift. The incompetence makes us feel afraid. The callousness makes us feel alone."
Harris noted that Black, Latino and Indigenous people have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus.
"This is not a coincidence. It is the effect of structural racism. Of inequities in education and technology, healthcare and housing, job security and transportation. The injustice in reproductive and maternal healthcare. In the excessive use of force by police and in our broader criminal justice system," she said. "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 got to do the work."
She went on to declare that the United States must elect former Vice President Joe Biden, who is set to accept the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday. He will face Republican Trump in the Nov. 3 election.
"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," she said.
Former Vice President Joe Biden accepts the Democratic Party's nomination for president Thursday on the final night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. The nomination follows a
50-year career in politics for Biden. UPI Photo |
License Photo
Joe Biden, joined by his wife, Jill Biden, said "This is a life-changing election that will determine America's future for a very long time. Character is on the ballot. Compassion is on the ballot. Decency, science, democracy. They're all on the ballot." UPI Photo | License Photo
New York entrepreneur Andrew Yang, who had also run a primary campaign for president, addresses the final night of the convention on Thursday. UPI Photo | License Photo
Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois appears on the final night of the convention. Duckworth had been a finalist to be Biden's running mate before Sen. Kamala Harris was selected. UPI Photo | License Photo
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, addressing the convention Thursday, had also been considered as a running mate for Biden. She said, "We know how important it is that we elect real servant leaders, leaders like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris -- people of honor and integrity, who hold justice close to their hearts and believe that the lives of my four Black children matter." UPI Photo | License Photo
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who also ran a primary campaign for president, addresses the convention Thursday. UPI | License Photo
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, another former presidential candidate, addresses the convention Thursday. UPI Photo | License Photo
Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg addresses the convention. "Every American must now decide: Can America be a place where faith is about healing and not exclusion? Can we become a country that lives up to the truth that Black Lives Matter? Will we handle questions of science and medicine by turning to scientists and doctors? What will we do to make America into a land where no one who works full time can live in poverty?" Buttigieg had also run a primary campaign for president. UPI Photo | License Photo
Harris accepts the Democratic Party's nomination for vice president on Wednesday, the third night of the Democratic National Convention. She is the first Black and South Asian woman to be on a major party ticket. Harris
spoke from Delaware, presidential nominee Joe Biden's home state. UPI Photo |
License Photo
Many convention speakers are giving their remarks via video from their homes. UPI Photo | License Photo
From left to right, Douglas Emhoff, Harris, former Vice President Joe Biden and Jill Biden gather onstage in Delaware after Harris accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for vice president. UPI Photo | License Photo
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers prepares to speak during the third day of the Democratic National Convention. Pool Photo by Stephen Voss/UPI | License Photo
Former President Barack Obama
addresses the third night of the convention from Philadelphia, where the U.S. Constitution was written. "Over eight years, Joe was the last one in the room whenever I faced a big decision," Obama said. "He made me a better president. He's got the character and experience to make us a better country." UPI Photo |
License Photo
Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords addresses the convention Wednesday. UPI Photo | License Photo
Billie Eilish performs on Wednesday. Other scheduled performances include John Legend, The Chicks, Billy Porter and Jennifer Hudson. UPI Photo | License Photo
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lost to President Donald Trump in 2016 even though she won the popular vote, emphasized the importance of voting during her address to the convention on Wednesday. UPI Photo | License Photo
Joe Biden is seen in a video feed from Delaware being applauded by his wife, Jill Biden, and his grandchildren after winning the votes to become the Democratic Party's 2020 nominee for president during the second night of the convention on Tuesday. Pool Photo by Brian Snyder/UPI | License Photo
Former President Bill Clinton
called Biden "a down-to-earth, get-the-job-done guy" at the second night of the convention, speaking online from his home. UPI Photo |
License Photo
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York addresses the second night of the convention as she seconds the nomination of Sen. Bernie Sanders for president. Sanders gained enough delegates to be nominated, but not enough to beat Joe Biden for the party nod. Pool Photo by Brian Snyder/UPI | License Photo
Convention secretary Jason Rae directs the roll call vote of the states as delegates cast their votes for former Vice President Joe Biden to become their 2020 nominee for president. Pool Photo by Brian Snyder/UPI | License Photo
Former first lady Michelle Obama
said in her address on the first night of the convention that President Donald Trump is "the wrong president for our country." UPI Photo |
License Photo
Live video feeds are managed in the control room in Milwaukee, where the live event would've been held. Pool Photo by Morry Gash/UPI | License Photo
Monday night's theme was "We the People," and centered around solutions for the coronavirus pandemic, social and racial equality, and climate change. Pool Photo by Scott Olson/UPI | License Photo
Rep. Gwen Moore speaks during the first night of the convention. Moore, a Democratic from Wisconsin's 4th district, which includes Milwaukee, was the only one to speak live from the Wisconsin Center on Monday. Pool Photo by Scott Olson/UPI | License Photo
Former President Barack Obama also delivered a speech at the virtual convention Wednesday night, praising Biden's work as his vice president.
"Over eight years, Joe was the last one in the room whenever I faced a big decision. He made me a better president. He's got the character and experience to make us a better country," Obama said.
He also condemned Trump for not taking the job of president seriously.
"He's shown no interest in putting in the work, no interest in finding common ground, no interest in using the awesome power to help anyone but himself and his friends, no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves," Obama said of Trump.
Hillary Clinton, who lost to Trump in the 2016 election, recalled during her speech that after the election she told the nation Trump was owed "an open mind and a chance to lead."
"I wish Donald Trump had been a better president. But, sadly, he is who he is," she said. "America needs a president who shows the same compassion, determination and leadership in the White House that we see in our communities."
She also stressed the importance of voting, reminding viewers she won the popular vote in 2016.
"This can't be another woulda-coulda-shoulda-election," Clinton said. "If you're voting by mail, request your ballot now and send it back as soon as you can. If you vote in person, do it early. Bring a friend and wear a mask. Become a poll worker."
Wednesday's program also featured testimony from climate activists and climate scientists who condemned Trump's denial of the climate crisis, Parkland shooting survivor Emma Gonzalez and 11-year-old Estela Juarez, whose mother was deported under Trump's administration.
