‘It’s going to be okay,’ Harris concedes, addresses youth
Harris supporters react to her concession speech at Howard University in Washington D.C. on Nov. 6, 2024 (Razak Diallo/The Black Explosion)
By: Mara K. Bell, Razak Diallo, Tendai Murray, Nina WIlson
Thousands of students and supporters gathered at Howard University in Washington D.C. on Wednesday to hear Vice President Kamala Harris deliver her concession speech for the 2024 presidential election.
“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” Harris said at her alma mater. “The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness, and the dignity of all people.”
As of Nov. 7, President-elect Donald Trump defeated Harris, collecting 295 electoral votes, well over the 270 threshold.
The Howard alumna took the stage in front of Frederick Douglass Memorial Hall just after 4:30 p.m. to thunderous applause from over 6,000 spectators, according to the Secret Service.
Audience member waving two American flags as Harris speaks, Nov. 6, 2024 (Razak Diallo/The Black Explosion)
Harris addressed the crowd’s low spirits, specifically targeting younger members of the audience.
“To the young people who are watching, it is okay to feel sad and disappointed, but please know it’s going to be okay,” Harris said. “Don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place. You have power.”
Some members of the crowd were unfazed by the election results, considering the controversial outcome of the 2016 presidential election that resulted in the defeat of former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Glinda Cooper, who voted for Harris, explained that the 2016 election results prepared her for the race.
“I wasn’t more hopeful about the outcome. I guess I’m more resigned about what America is––which is not what I thought it was”, Cooper said.
Harris’ loss also sparked conversation on whether her intersectional identity played a hand in the election results.
“This country just doesn’t want to see Black women in powerful positions and I think it just sucks because she would have done great things,” Ariane Dolby, 22, said.
Audience members listen to Kamala Harris’ concession speech at Howard University in Washington D.C., Nov. 6, 2024 (Razak Diallo/The Black Explosion)
After her speech, Sterling Brooks, a freshman accounting major at Howard University, said, “it was nice to really adjust and give us some kind of hope.”
Howard University student Nile Mpela, a freshman finance major, thought Harris had a strong campaign with policies that would push America toward the future.
“I feel like her speech was very empowering and she'll be able to move us forward. She gave us a lot of motivation,” Mpela said.
In her speech, Harris described the fight for a future with guaranteed reproductive rights, safety from gun violence and a strong democracy.
“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,” Harris said.
University of Maryland alumni Jan Baker, 42, of New York, described Harris’ campaign as one that “reignited people.”
“She's a joyful warrior,” Baker said. “I think that [Harris] was a great representation of what Black women could be.”
Harris shared that she called President-elect Trump, congratulating him on his victory and declaring her commitment to engage in a peaceful transfer of power.
“A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results,” she said.
President-elect Donald Trump will be officially sworn in on January 20, 2025, giving Harris and the rest of the Biden administration 74 days remaining in power.