VP Kamala Harris kicked off the week, convening with voting rights leaders in Washington. DC (Tuesday, Feb. 27). In her introductory remarks, VP Harris announced a four part strategy to protect the freedom to vote and three days of national action:
The first part is the work the President and I have done to charge every federal agency to do all they can to make sure that every American has the information that they need to know how they can vote when they are eligible.
HHS, Health and Human Services, will start emailing information on how to register to vote to everyone who enrolls in the ACA, the Affordable Care Act. And last year we had 21 million people. So, we’re talking about a significant number of people.
The first email was actually sent last Friday. The Social Security Administration will display signs from Vote.gov. …, which are approximately 1,200 offices around the country, which receive, on an annual basis, about 6 million visitors.
The Department of the Interior will participate in that the national parks will display Vote.gov information at park entrances and visitors centers. (There were 325,498,646 visits to National Parks in 2023 — not all being US citizens of voting age, but that’s a large number. LP).
Second, we have been doing work to promote voter participation for students. And, for example, we have — under the federal work study program, now allow students to get paid, through federal work study, to register people and to be nonpartisan poll workers.
Third, we are doing work on behalf of our administration to protect election workers.
We have, to that end — in terms of protecting election workers — through the Department of Justice, created the Elections Threats Taskforce, which has held over 100 events to train local officials to train election workers.
Fourth, we are continuing with all the leaders here and with all the other work with the leaders here to fight voter suppression laws.
And then, of course, many of us will be in Selma on Sunday to commemorate Bloody Sunday, to remember the great John Lewis and Amelia Boynton and so many others, and to issue a call, yet again, for Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
And I’m also pleased to announce today that we will declare three national days of action, together with the leaders here, where we can continue to do our work that is about uplifting communities, strengthening coalitions, strengthening communities around their power and ability to lead in their own communities.
And so, those three national days of action for voting will be Juneteenth, the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act and, of course, National Voter Registration Day.
I quoted much of VP Harris’ speech because simple bullet points don’t cover the scope of these efforts to GOTV and because these efforts have gone under the radar. Information is power and the Biden-Harris administration is doing all they can to inform voters of their rights, to fight for voters rights and to GOTV.
Prior to this meeting, Vice President Harris joined President Biden in a meeting with the Big 4. However, my main focus this week will be on her efforts in supporting voting rights and GOTV.
In continuance of the GOTV push, VP Harris conducted an interview with Solomon Jones on Monday, Feb. 26, that aired on Tuesday, Feb. 27, A conversation with Kamala Harris on fixing racial disparities through the power of the Black vote. While her recorded interview is embedded in the story, here’s the link for ease of access :
February is Black History Month. Listen to VP Kamala Harris:
We celebrate Black History as America’s History, not just this month but every month.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks with staff before taking a photo in honor of Black History Month.
Thursday, Feb. 29, Vice President Kamala Harris hosted HBCU students and graduates.
Friday, Mar. 1, VP Harris closed out the Biden-Harris Administration’s fourth Investing In America tour, in Durham, NC, announcing more than $90 million dollars for historically underserved entrepreneurs in North Carolina. From her speech on Historic Black Wall Street:
Thus far, we have invested more than $3 billion in the entrepreneurs and small businesses here in North Carolina. And that investment has included billions of dollars in small business loans for thousands of small businesses in North Carolina.
When I say small businesses, I am including in that group entrepreneurs, those who have extraordinary ideas, often that involve technology, with an eye towards what we need to do with the climate crisis and things of that nature; startups.
The investment of $3 billion also includes millions of dollars from the Economic Opportunity Coalition that I launched in 2022. And this is, again, testament to the leaders who are here who are private-sector investors and are matching and working with us through federal investments to reach a capacity that is extraordinary in terms of pooling together these federal dollars with these private investments.
And that brings me, then, to today, where we are announcing a new investment of $92 million primarily for early stage startups here in North Carolina. (Applause.)
And we are talking about clean energy companies, we are talking about AI, we are talking about technology companies in general.
An separately, many here may know, the President and I, from the beginning of our administration, made a pledge, which we are on track to meet, to increase by 50 percent federal contracts to minority-owned businesses.
And ultimately, yes, this is about the right thing to do. It is a good thing to do. But ultimately, it makes economic and financial sense for us to do this work. Because the bottom line — and, yes, the bottom line, I speak in economic terms — is that this produces an extraordinary return on investment.
VP Harris’ remarks start at 5:00 minutes.
After her speech, VP Harris participated in an organizer training with students:
Topping off the week, Vice President Harris was in Selma, Alabama to commemorate the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday.
Prior to her commemorative remarks, VP Harris addressed the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
So, before I begin today, I must address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane. And our common humanity compels us to act.
As President Joe Biden said on Friday, the United States is committed to urgently get more lifesaving assistance to innocent Palestinians in need.
And the Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. (Applause.) No excuses.
As I’ve said repeatedly since October 7th, Israel has the right to defend itself.
Hamas cannot control Gaza, and the threat Hamas poses to the people of Israel must be eliminated. Hamas is a brutal, terrorist organization that has vowed to repeat October 7th again and again until Israel is annihilated.
And given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire — (applause) — for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table.
This will get the hostages out and get a significant amount of aid in. This would allow us to build something more enduring to ensure Israel is more secure and respect the right of the Palestinian people to dignity, freedom and self-determination. (Applause.)
Hamas claims it wants a ceasefire. Well, there is a deal on the table. And as we have said, Hamas needs to agree to that deal.
Let’s get a ceasefire. Let’s reunite the hostages with their families. And let’s provide immediate relief to the people of Gaza. (Applause.)
I will now address the occasion for our gathering today on this hallowed ground on the foot of the Edmund Pettis Bridge, where 59 years ago, on a cold Sunday morning, 600 brave souls set out from Selma.
Hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, they marched for the freedoms that were theirs by birth and theirs by right: the freedom to vote, the freedom to live without violence or intimidation, the freedom to be full and equal members of our nation.
Freedom is fundamental to the promise of America. Freedom is not to be given. It is not tot be bestowed. It is ours by right. (Applause.)
And the power behind the promise of freedom has always been in the faith of her people and our willingness to fight for freedom, be it on the fields of Gettysburg, in the schools of Little Rock, on the streets of Ferguson, and on this bridge right here in Selma. (Applause.)
And today, we know our fight for freedom is not over, because, in this moment, we are witnessing a full-on attack on hard-fought, hard-won freedoms, starting with the freedom that unlocks all others: the freedom to vote.
Fundamental freedoms are under assault. The freedom to vote. The freedom from fear, violence and harm. The freedom to learn. The freedom to control one’s own body. And the freedom to just simply be.
What kind of country do we want to live in?
Do we want to live in a country of freedom, liberty and justice — or a country of injustice, hate and fear?
We each have the power to answer that question with our voice, with our feet, and with our vote.
Watch the full speech below or read the full linked text. It’s a must see/read.
VP Harris’ remarks start at 25:20 minutes.
VOTE and GOTV!
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