In the early morning of Wednesday, November 6, the nonpartisan body Associated Press declared that Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris had lost her campaign in the 2024 United States Presidential Election to former President and Republican candidate Donald Trump.
The two competed for the White House over a series of fraught months, with the result determined by voters in a series of key battlegrounds, including Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, to name a few.
While Harris remained silent on election day, Tuesday, November 5, the former Senator and Attorney General of California took the stand in Washington D.C. to deliver her powerful concession speech.
The address issued from her alma mater, the private, historically black, federally chartered research university, Howard University, was one of hope, resilience and determination.
“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fuelled this campaign,” Harris said.
“The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people, a fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up.”
The results of the election are undoubtedly emotional and frightening for the futures of many female, LGBTQIA+, migrant and BIPOC citizens. As we begin to process the next chapter of American history under Trump’s leadership, allow Harris’ message to be a promise that this is not the end.
Watch her speech in full, below.
Kamala Harris 2024 Concession Speech:
Harris began her address by thanking her team, including her running mate, the Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz. “I am so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it,” Harris said with a shaken voice. “The light of America’s promise will always burn bright,” Harris continued, adding, “As long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.”
She doubled down on this later in her statement: “I will never give up the fight for a future where Americans can pursue their dreams, ambitions and aspirations, where the women of America have the freedom to make decisions about their own body and not have their government telling them what to do.”
“We will never give up the fight to protect our schools and our streets from gun violence and, America, we will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice and for the sacred idea that every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms. That must be respected and upheld.”
“There’s an adage a historian once called a law of history, true of every society across the ages,” she concluded. “The adage is: only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case. But here’s the thing, America, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of brilliant, brilliant billions of stars. The light, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service …
“…May that work guide us, even in the face of setbacks, toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America.”
This story first appeared on GRAZIA International.
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