OP-ED: Kamala Harris’s Time Has Come
“Black Vote, Black Power,” a collaboration between Keith Boykin and Word In Black,
examines the issues, the candidates, and what’s at stake for Black America in the 2024 presidential election.
CHICAGO — A few weeks ago, Democrats were a divided party headed toward a potentially explosive convention in Chicago. Today, those fears are gone, as Kamala Harris has united the party and concluded one of the most successful conventions in American political history.
Democrats came into Chicago haunted by three ghosts: 1968, 2000, and 2016, and Kamala Harris banished all of them.
When we fight, we win.
The ghost of 1968 was the haunting reminder of Chicago, where antiwar demonstrators took over the streets to protest the war in Vietnam.
The ghost of 2000 was when the last incumbent Democratic vice president, Al Gore, tried and failed to follow a president into the White House.
And the ghost of 2016 was when the last woman, Hillary Clinton, tried to break the glass ceiling to the presidency.
Kamala Harris looked all three of those ghosts in the face and busted them.
This was not 1968. Harris addressed the war in Gaza head on in her convention speech, refusing to run away from the most divisive internal issue in the party today.
This was not 2000. Harris acknowledged and thanked President Biden but laid out her own hopeful, optimistic vision for America based on freedom.
And this was not 2016. Harris did not dwell on her history-making campaign as a woman. She introduced herself to America in a relatable convention speech, but then told the country how she plans to focus on us and not on her.
It was not only a contrast to the self-centered Trump campaign but a refreshing reminder that Democrats can win if they stay on offense instead of defense. Harris refused to be defensive on Gaza or the border, as she laid out a strong vision of American power as a force for good in the world that can positively reflect our values.
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The former district attorney prosecuted the case against convicted felon Donald Trump and forced Americans to use their common sense. As she shared the story of how she had to introduce herself in the courtroom, “Kamala Harris, for the people,” she told America that she had spent her career with only one client: the people. While Trump, on the other hand, had spent his life focused only on himself.
In a night that also featured the Exonerated Central Park Five, no serious African American could watch Harris compared to Trump’s long-winded, rambling Milwaukee speech and conclude that he was the better candidate.
She even brought out her adorable grand nieces to teach Americans how to say her name. Comma – LA.
By nominating Kamala Harris, Democrats have busted the ghosts of the past and embraced a new future that recognizes their strength.
Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come, and this week Kamala Harris proved that her time had come. As she always says, when we fight, we win.
Keith Boykin is a New York Times–bestselling author, TV and film producer, and former CNN political commentator. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, Keith served in the White House, cofounded the National Black Justice Coalition, cohosted the BET talk show My Two Cents, and taught at the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University in New York. He’s a Lambda Literary Award-winning author and editor of seven books. He lives in Los Angeles.
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