Supporters depart Howard campus after Harris cancels appearance

Kamala Harris did not deliver a speech on election night at Howard University, which is her alma mater and a historically black institution located in Washington D.C. Following the announcement that she had lost the initial two battleground states, Harris did not make an appearance before the gathering of supporters on campus, whose numbers had begun to decrease as the evening progressed. The Democratic presidential nominee earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from Howard in 1986 and has since maintained strong connections with the university. According to Howard’s president, Ben Vinson III, this event marked the first occasion in modern history that a university campus had served as the venue for a presidential election watch party. Mr. Vinson stated that the university was already “incredibly proud” to count the first woman of color to hold the vice-presidency among its graduates. He added, “We are also honoured that she has chosen Howard as the place to potentially make history again.” However, by Tuesday night, the atmosphere among attendees at Howard grew progressively quieter, and near midnight, a high-ranking campaign official informed the diminishing audience that Harris would not be making an appearance that evening. On the large outdoor screen installed on campus, the results for two swing states, North Carolina and Georgia, had been projected in favor of Trump. Nabila Mangum, 31, who was dressed in the vibrant pink colors of AKA—the sorority she shares with Harris—had intended to commemorate election night at Howard. She remarked, “I was very motivated and excited.” She observed the shift in the atmosphere instantaneously, noting a sudden decrease in enthusiasm among the surrounding crowd. “The energy went down,” she stated. “But, we’re not finished. It’s not over until it’s done.” Earlier on Tuesday, prior to the commencement of the watch party, Harris’s supporters had assembled outside the university, but they fell into an unsettling silence upon seeing North Carolina projected for Trump. “I know there are a lot of worries with the numbers right now,” commented Howard student Jordan Newsom, shortly after the state was declared a victory for Trump. Mr. Newsom indicated that his fellow supporters were making every effort to maintain morale. “The best we can do is unite and keep the faith amongst ourselves,” he added. Cheryl Taylor, a Howard alumna who invited Harris to join Alpha Kappa Alpha—the nation’s first black sorority, established at Howard in 1908—as a freshman, was present among the attendees. The members of AKA and other black sororities constitute a closely connected national network that has supported Harris’s presidential campaigns both this year and in 2019. Ms. Taylor informed the BBC that even at 19 years old, Harris distinguished herself as a leader. “She was amazing. Beautiful, smart, a good person,” she stated. Ms. Taylor expressed being touched by Harris’s choice to host a watch party at Howard, interpreting it as an acknowledgment of the institution’s significance in her personal journey and as the location that revealed to her the strength of “black excellence.” She also dismissed criticisms targeting Harris’s racial identity, including those from Donald Trump, who had questioned her black heritage. “We don’t question that here,” she affirmed. Kendall Claytor, a first-time voter and first-year student, was waiting with her friends to enter the event and characterized Harris as a role model. “As a black woman, I really look up to her,” she commented. “You know, knowing that she came from the same place, like she slept in the same dorms that I slept in, she went to the same school, same classes and she’s able to make it this far. I think speaks volumes to us as students,” she elaborated. William Ward, 65 years old, was providing music for the crowd from the rear of his bicycle. “I’m going to be 66 in December. I want to see history. I’ve seen the Obamas go in, which is history. And now I’m going to see a female go in,” he shared. Cheers briefly overshadowed a Destiny’s Child song when screens displayed Harris leading in early vote counts from the battleground states of Michigan and Pennsylvania. “I know there’s been a lot of work on the ground, and it’s so good to see it pay off,” stated Danielle Sydnor, a Harris supporter. Jerry Patterson entered the Howard watch party while simultaneously monitoring an election results page on her phone. “I’m really anxious,” Mr. Patterson commented. “But cautiously optimistic.” Dressed in an entirely green tracksuit adorned with Kamala Harris pins, Patterson joined the spirited crowd that filled the Yard for the vice-president’s watch party. “We hope that things turn out well,” he further remarked, identifying democracy and women’s reproductive rights as his two primary concerns. He also expressed that Harris had merited the nation’s highest office, having spent three months presenting her arguments and outlining her policy platform. “If people don’t understand it, that’s because they don’t want to hear,” he concluded. Established in 1867 and known as The Mecca, Howard stands as one of the nation’s largest and most academically demanding historically black universities. The institution graduates more Black PhD recipients than any other university in the United States and presently enrolls approximately 11,000 students. Among its notable alumni are former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, civil rights leader Stokely Carmichael, and actor Chadwick Boseman. In her memoir, *The Truths We Hold*, Harris characterized it as a place where “you could come as you were and leave as the person you aspired to be.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.