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For Black Women at the DNC, Harris’ Historic Nomination Hits Something Else

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Kamala Harris, DNC, theGrio.com

For black women delegates who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris at this 12 months’s Democratic National Convention, her historic presidential nomination has a unique meaning.

In lower than 10 years, the party has nominated its second female presidential candidate and only the second black candidate in lower than 20 years. And as a black and South Asian woman, Harris’ nomination is historic for a lot of reasons.

“It’s something that I’ve been really emotional about over the last few weeks, thinking about this opportunity to do something that I’m not sure I ever thought I’d be able to do in my life,” said Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, a state delegate who also made history as the first black female lieutenant governor of Illinois.

Stratton said the moment reminds her of one other presidential candidate who made history: former U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm.

Reflecting on Chisholm’s famous quote, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair,” Lt. Governor Stratton said, “I think that moment is an example of not only bringing a folding chair, but of black women building their own tables.”

U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, R-Illinois, said she believes Chisholm can be “proud” of Harris for achieving this political feat on behalf of ladies, especially Black women.

Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL) speaks onstage during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on Aug. 19, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Delegates, politicians and supporters of the Democratic Party are in Chicago for the convention, which culminates with current Vice President Kamala Harris accepting her party’s presidential nomination. The DNC takes place Aug. 19-22. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“Congressman Chisholm was a true inspiration to all of us, and there were many threads in his leadership experience and approach,” she added.

Following the record-breaking fundraising and support Harris has received since announcing her presidential campaign last month, many are comparing the enthusiasm for Harris’ candidacy to that of Barack Obama, who was elected America’s first black president in 2008.

Stratton recalls being in Grant Park in Chicago when Obama was elected.

“Everyone was laughing, smiling, crying and just soaking in the moment where they knew that barrier had been broken,” she recalled. “It was just one of those moments that you don’t know if you’ll ever be able to recreate.”

Sixteen years later, Stratton said Harris and her vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are having fun with “incredibly high” momentum.

“Look at these rallies that we’re seeing… there are people standing outside trying to get in. They’re filling up,” she noted. “It’s standing room only, people outside who can’t get in, including in states that are frankly close states or states where people don’t expect to see as much enthusiasm for the Democrats.”

Nervahna Crew, a Harris-Walz delegate from North Carolina, recalled working as a volunteer and field organizer for Obama’s first presidential campaign. She also attended the 2008 DNC convention, when Obama accepted the party nomination.

Barack Obama, Democrats, theGrio.com
Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) waves to the crowd after his speech on the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at Invesco Field at Mile High on August 28, 2008 in Denver, Colorado. U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) is the first African American to be officially nominated as a candidate for president of the United States by a serious party. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

While Obama’s historic election meant loads to him as a young black American, Crew said Harris’ nomination “made a little bit of a difference” this time around.

Firstly, unlike in 2008 when she sat in the “nosebleed section”, this 12 months, as a delegate, she might be in the room and witness “this watershed moment in history”.

“Sometimes the stars just align,” said Alisha Bell, a Michigan delegate and chairwoman of the Wayne County Commission.

“The energy I feel is the same energy we had for Barack Obama,” she said. “I think a lot of women of color, and just women in general, are really prepared and excited for her to potentially win.”

Both Crew and Bell consider voters of their home states of North Carolina and Michigan — that are also key swing states — will ultimately forged their electoral votes for Harris in November.

Black women delegates are especially excited to see Harris finally shatter the glass ceiling that has kept women in politics from America’s founding nearly 250 years ago. The United States got here near electing its first female president in 2016; nevertheless, Hillary Clinton’s candidacy was derailed by the surprise victory of Donald Trump, the Republican candidate searching for his third term as president.

“Secretary Clinton’s experience taught us that we can’t focus so much on the historic, barrier-breaking aspects of an exciting candidacy and nomination,” said Congresswoman Underwood. “We need to do the really important work of mobilizing voters and making sure they have a plan to vote in this election.”

Lt. Gov. Stratton said Clinton’s nearly successful but historic campaign preceded a Republican movement targeting freedoms that ladies and plenty of other vulnerable communities hold dear.

Juliana Stratton, Kamala Harris, JB Pritzker, theGrio.com
Vice President Kamala Harris attends a rally in support of Illinois Democrats with Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, left, and Governor JB Pritzker on the UIC campus on September 16, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. Harris also participated in a roundtable discussion on reproductive rights during her visit to campus. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“We kind of hit that glass ceiling, and then the GOP’s response to that was they’re going to start tearing down every law that got us there,” she said. “Now we have another chance, really, to shatter what I think is the ultimate glass ceiling.”

Crew, who also served as a delegate for Hillary Clinton in 2016, recalled that she worked so extensively volunteering for the Clinton campaign that she developed a ganglion cyst on her foot.

“This is essential because this crisis is really urgent. It’s getting worse. The maternal mortality rate is up 89% since the pandemic,” said the congresswoman, who introduced comprehensive maternal health laws called the Momnibus Act with Harris while serving in the Senate.

In her role as Vice President, Harris used her office to attract attention to racial disparities in maternal care and successfully pressured states to increase Medicaid coverage for postpartum care from two months to 12 months.

Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Black Voters, theGrio.com
U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris hold hands during a ceremony celebrating the WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces in the East Room of the White House on May 9, 2024 in Washington. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

If Harris and Congress can pass the Momnibus Act, women and pregnant people “will be able to get through what should be a joyous time,” Underwood said.

She added: “We will no longer see maternal deaths in the United States due to preventable maternal deaths.”

Delegates say that, overall, we’ll inevitably achieve higher results if the leader of the free world, each at home and around the world, is a black woman.

“Unfortunately, the United States is one of the few developed countries that has never had a female president. Being a woman brings a different dynamic to the table,” said Bell, a delegate from Michigan.

Bell said that despite the history of racism and misogyny in the United States, it is vital for voters to “dispel” any notions that she cannot win, though she admits she is “cautiously optimistic.”

“We know there’s work to be done. We definitely can’t take this for granted at all,” she said. Bell continued: “We need to continue to go into our barbershops and beauty salons and the general public to help them understand and get them excited.”

Underwood said that with Donald Trump on the ballot, voters have a “real choice in this election.”

“Do you want a future that is chaotic? An extremist who wants to control every aspect of our society, as described in Trump’s Project 2025?” she asked voters. “Do you want a capable, talented, experienced leader, Kamala Harris, who leads with joy and welcomes the voices and experiences of all Americans into this campaign?”

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This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Politics and Current

Kamala Harris Recognized for Her Spotlight on Race and Reparations During NABJ-WHYY Interview

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Kamala Harris, theGriio.com

In a wide-ranging interview with the National Association of Black Journalists and public radio station WHYY, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke more broadly about race than at some other time since becoming a presidential candidate and then the Democratic Party nominee.

The historic presidential figure (Harris is the primary Black woman and Indian-American to be nominated by a significant party) made her first appearance as vice chairman on the difficulty of reparations and outlined the systemic harms inflicted on Black communities by U.S. history, including African-American slavery and racial oppression.

“We need to tell the truth in a way that leads to solutions,” said Harris, who co-sponsored HR40 when she was a U.S. senator.

While members of the Congressional Black Caucus and advocates have called on President Joe Biden to take executive motion within the absence of three many years of inaction on Capitol Hill, the presidential candidate has signaled she believes it should come through Congress. She cited Congress’s ability to carry hearings and “raise awareness” in regards to the history of slavery and racial discrimination.

However, the vice chairman added: “I am not downplaying the significance of any executive action.”

Referring to her economic plan if she wins the White House in November, Harris said her ideas for creating an “opportunity economy” would aim to “explicitly address the obstacles that exist historically and currently” in areas similar to student loan debt, health care debt, biased home valuations and black maternal mortality.

Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris (left) is interviewed by National Association of Black Journalists members Gerren Keith Gaynor (far right), Eugene Daniels (second from right) and Tonya Mosley (third from right) on the WHYY studios in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

“I am pleased that Vice President Harris has recognized the important role truth plays in our pursuit of racial healing and transformation,” said Lee. “My legislation to establish a Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation would usher in a moment of truth-telling by educating and informing the public about the historical context of the racial inequities we witness every day.”

But Hunter said that despite Harris’ clear preference for congressional motion on the commission’s creation, such a commission through executive motion “could be a source of legislative policy.” He continued,

Political pundit and radio host Reeta Colbert admitted that Harris “hung around” during her CNN interview and presidential debate with Trump to discuss her racial identity.

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This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Airlines forces 14-year-old girl off plane due to weight and balance issues, leaving her to fend for herself

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The mother of a teen who was banned from a plane in Canada due to a weight imbalance is outraged at how the incident has put her daughter’s safety in danger.

According to the CBC, 14-year-old Camryn Larkan boarded a Porter Airlines flight home from Toronto to Victoria, British Columbia, on August 30 after visiting family and friends. Once she was seated on the plane, a flight attendant approached her and told her she had to get off the plane.

14-year-old stuck at the airport
14-year-old forced to leave plane due to “weight and balance” issues. (Source: Pexels)

“I was a little disoriented… I thought I was going to go back to my seat. I thought they were just going to take my bags.” – Camryn he said CBC. “As soon as I got off the plane and saw the doors close, that’s when I started, you know, getting really concerned.”

Porter Airlines pulled Camryn from the flight due to a “weight and balance issue.” The airline said agents asked for volunteers, but when nobody got here forward, “passengers were selected based on ticket type.”

After Camryn and several other passengers were asked to leave the plane, a Porter Airlines agent arranged for Camryn to fly to Victoria the subsequent day. Camryn immediately called her father, who got here to pick her up on the airport.

Camryn’s mother expressed her frustration, saying the airline completely mishandled her daughter’s exit from the plane.

“They put my child in immediate danger,” Catherine Larkan said. “It was complete neglect and it shouldn’t happen to any other minor.”

The airline’s policy is that unaccompanied minors are exempt from involuntary disembarkation. The company offers a $100 service plan for children traveling alone. The plan is required for children ages 8 to 11 and optional for children ages 12 to 17.

Camryn’s family didn’t know the service existed, so the airline treated the 14-year-old as an adult.

“At the time, our team was unaware that Camryn was a minor,” a Porter Airlines spokesperson said. “Camryn left the airport quickly and our team had limited ability to discuss options with her.”

Children travelling without an unaccompanied minor plan are considered “independent adults” and are subject to “adult passenger considerations such as weight, balance and unloading situations.”

“They provide a service, saying we know these people are at risk, and they say if you don’t pay for the service, you’re going to be treated like any other adult passenger traveling,” Camryn’s mother said. “It’s just absolutely absurd.”

An airline representative told People magazine that its customer support department is in touch with Camryn’s family and that Porter Airlines is working on solutions to minimize the chance of an incident like this happening again.

This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Here’s What You Need to Know About Threats in Springfield, Ohio, After False Accusations About Haitian Immigrants

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Haitian immigrants in Springfield Ohio, theGrio.com

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — A small Ohio town has been flooded with false bomb threats since last week’s presidential debate, when former President Donald Trump falsely accused Members of Springfield’s Haitian community kidnap and eat cats and dogs.

Trump’s vice presidential candidate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, has amplified debunked web rumors about Haitian migrants because the Republican ticket criticizes President Joe Biden’s administration’s immigration policies, which Trump’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, supports. City officials acknowledge that the influx of about 15,000 Haitian migrants is causing problems, but say there is no such thing as a evidence to support the claim that they’re eating people’s pets.

More than 30 bomb threats since last week have targeted schools, government buildings and the homes of city officials, forcing evacuations and closures. Springfield also canceled its annual diversity, arts and culture celebration in response to the threats, and state police on Tuesday distributed in city schools.

Here are some things to know concerning the situation in Springfield:

Who is behind these false threats?

Foreign actors, in particular. That’s according to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican who said many of the threats got here from abroad. The governor’s office said a criminal investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies found the “vast majority” of the threats were international in origin. Officials didn’t provide further details on how investigators determined they got here from a foreign country, and DeWine didn’t name the country.

What’s happening?

DeWine has sent dozens of Ohio State Highway Patrol members to all 18 city schools, where checks might be conducted twice every day to prevent further disruptions and help parents and students ensure that the buildings are secure. But even with the increased police presence, many parents still didn’t let their children go to school Tuesday.

Meanwhile, security cameras have been placed at strategic locations around the town, and an explosives-sniffing dog has been deployed to Springfield and might be on duty 24 hours a day.

DeWine $2.5 million declared greater than two years to increase support for primary health care. State highway patrol also helps local law enforcement implement traffic laws. DeWine said many Haitians are inexperienced drivers who’re unfamiliar with U.S. traffic laws.

How is the town reacting?

Springfield never wanted to be the focus — not like this.

City officials said Tuesday that misinformation and lies about Haitian immigrants have sown fear and division, disrupted science and price taxpayers money. In an announcement, they implored public figures, community members and media to “move beyond divisive rhetoric and instead work to promote unity, understanding and respect.” The statement didn’t mention Trump or Vance by name.

Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said the influx of migrants is straining police, hospitals and schools. He also criticized the federal government, saying the town asked for help months ago. But on Tuesday he urged national leaders to “soften their words and speak the truth.”

Why did so many Haitians move to Springfield?

Work and word of mouth.

Springfield in consequence, industrial jobs were lost and the population dropped significantly late last century. But the town made a concerted effort to attract employers and Haitian immigrants who helped meet the growing demand for employees in its factories and warehouses. Word spread, and Haitians began arriving in larger numbers in the past few years.

Haitians from Springfield and elsewhere have come to the U.S. to escape violence in their home country. Many Haitians are here under a federal program called Temporary Protected Statusallowing them to live and work temporarily in the U.S. because conditions in Haiti are deemed too dangerous for them to return to the island.

What do Haitian immigrants say?

Members of the Haitian community say they were uneasy even before Trump and Vance picked up on the pet-eating lies, as former residents were angered by the brand new arrivals’ impact on jobs, housing and traffic.

“Some of them are talking about living in fear. Some of them are afraid for their lives,” Rose-Thamar Joseph said last week on the Springfield Haitian Community Outreach and Support Center.

On church service on Sunday, Mia Perez said her daughter was evacuated from school twice last week.

“Children at school are asked by other children, ‘What does dog taste like? What does cat taste like?'” Perez said. “She asks, ‘Are we Haitians who eat this stuff? Is it true? What’s going on?'”

“It’s a conversation I wasn’t ready to have with my daughter,” Perez said. “I felt disrespected by our culture.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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