Yes We Kam
What kind of country do we want to live in?
“My mother would look at me and she’d say, ‘Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last.’ That’s why breaking those barriers is worth it. As much as anything else, it is also to create that path for those who will come after us.” - Kamala Harris
Yesterday I spent an evening with a conspicuously white sisterhood hosted by ANSWERTHECALL2024. It was planned that way, coming as it did in the wake of 40,000-strong “Win With Black Women” ZOOM call (another 50,000 joined via other platforms) on Sunday, July 21st just hours after Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed Harris.
This gathering was memorable not only because of the number (nearly 200,000 participants) who attended and the amount of money raised for the Harris campaign (over 8.5 million by the time the call ended), but because of the raw confrontational tone taken by some of the speakers as well. American author and queer activist Glennon Doyle, for example, called white women to task for not doing enough in the past to address white privilege saying, “Our silence will not protect us. No one is coming to protect us,” she added. “We will have to protect each other.”
NOTE: Just learned from Shannon Watts (
) that we not only raised over $8.5 million in the 120-minute call, but that at one point we were raising $70,000 a minute, and the donations link was processing up to 100 contributions a second! Talk about being on fire! You can access last night’s call by clicking on the image below.
Many also spoke about the need to learn from black women who have turned organization and activism into an art form. The point “is to make sure we are using our economic and political power to help elect Kamala Harris,” said Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action. “White women have fallen down too many times when it comes to voting for a presidential candidate."
How far have white women fallen you might ask? I was dismayed to learn that according to Pew Research white women supported Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016 (47% to 45%). In the 2020 election, an even higher number of white women, 53%, supported Trump.
Last night’s call was inspiring - almost startling given that four years ago, a Zoom meeting to build support for Kamala Harris as the Democratic vice presidential nominee attracted just 90 participants. Clearly the increasingly violent and extreme rhetoric being spread by MAGA Republicans coupled with the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe V. Wade, is having an impact. Women have had enough of the government trying to control their bodies.
To donate to the Harris campaign, visit: https://kamalaharris.com/
About the Song
The song accompanying this post is taken from Harris’s first campaign video which harnesses Beyonce’s brilliant song, “Freedom.” Watch it by clicking on the “YES WE KAM” image at the top.
I will be featuring additional songs suggested by my community in the days ahead. Please continue to share your suggestions.
P.S.
On Sunday, July 28 at 7:00 PM ET, Women for Harris will host its FIRST national organizing call, convening women from across the country who are fired up and ready to elect Kamala Harris to be the next President of the United States. During this call, you will have the opportunity to hear from extraordinary women, both outside and on the campaign. The latest updates from HQ and details on how you can get involved will be provided. Please sign up for the call and share it with anyone you know who might be interested: https://events.democrats.org/event/653900/
Copyright 2024 by Jena Ball. All Rights Reserved.
Jena! This is FANTASTIC!!!!
It was on someone's substack -- I can't remember whose. I'll try to track it down.