South Florida Black women energized by VP Kamala Harris
MIAMI - If Vice President Kamala Harris becomes the nominee for the Democratic Party, she'll be the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to lead a ticket.
Daphnee Sainvil refers to herself as a 'political nerd'. She is excited at the possibility. "It's the opportunity to make history as a Black woman voter. To vote another Black woman into the highest office in the United States of America."
Hearing Vice President Kamala Harris could lead the ticket for the Democratic Party once again stirred minority women voters. According to Pew Research, in the 2020 Presidential Election, 95 percent of Black women voted for the Biden-Harris ticket.
The ticket received 92 percent of the overall Black vote. Nikki Austin-Shipp is a Broward County voter she said, "We show up and we vote in numbers. When black women show up, our candidate wins whomever that may be."
Sainvil says, "We need to work hard now to convince the American people to convince 14 million voters that had initially voted for Biden in the primaries to now swap that vote out from someone who was on the ticket as head of the ticket now."
Harris' sorority sisters along with members of the other Black Greek Organizations have activated their get-out-the-vote movements.
Nefertiari Rigsby is the president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., the Alpha Gamma Delta Omega Chapter. She says, "Just like we did in 2020, we engage, we energize, and we mobilize. We have to get people to vote regardless of party affiliation."
Vice President Harris is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Nefertari just saw Harris at their national convention less than two weeks ago. Rigsby says of the visit, "One of the things she noted was when we mobilize we move mountains, we make history!"
Austin-Shipp is also a member. She says, "Oh it's personal. It's personal and we will not be taking it for granted."
Hours after the announcement, there was a Zoom call that included with 44,000 Black women. In less than three hours, they raised more than a million dollars.
In all, the campaign raised a record $81 million in the hours after President Biden dropped out.
