Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) made a video appearance at Friday’s civil rights event at the National Mall, delivering a call to action to demonstrators on the 57th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. delivering his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.
Harris told protesters in Washington, D.C., that the civil rights activists of the past would not let injustices against Black Americans stop them from striving for justice and equality.
“They would share in our anger and frustration as we continue to see Black men and women slain in our streets and left behind by an economy and justice system that have too often denied Black folks our dignity and rights,” she said. “But no doubt, they would turn it into fuel. They would be lacing up their shoes, locking arms and continuing right alongside us to continue in this ongoing fight for justice.”
Harris is the first Black woman and first Indian American to be on the presidential ticket for a major political party. Her speech came as the nation has seen a fresh wave of demonstrations this week over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis.
The California senator also implored protesters to take up the mantle of civil rights icon and longtime congressman John Lewis (D-Ga.), who recently passed away.
“As John put it, ‘Emmett Till was my George Floyd, he was my Rayshard Brooks, Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor,'” Harris said.
“The road ahead, it is not going to be easy, but if we work together to challenge every instinct our nation has to return to the status quo … we have an opportunity to make history, right here and right now,” she said.
Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to turn out for the event, titled “Commitment March: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks,” which was announced by the Rev. Al Sharpton in the wake of Floyd being killed by Minneapolis police at the end of May.