Black women activists grieve Harris' loss, but vow to rest, reflect and remain resilient [View all]

Source: USA Today

Published 7:18 p.m. ET Nov. 6, 2024 | Updated 10:09 pm. ET Nov. 6, 2024


ATLANTA ‒ By midnight, after a long day of helping voters, Tamieka Atkins decided to shut off the television, as results for the presidential election rolled in.

“I've done the staying up late and biting my nails,’’ said Atkins, executive director of ProGeorgia, a nonpartisan coalition of civic engagement groups. “It’s taking me a while to learn and this is what I tell other people and I'm telling it to myself, ‘Any one election is not a magic bullet to make everything better.'”

She said Black women have long fought ongoing battles over issues, including women’s rights, and winning elections.

“The work isn't done and I'm accountable and responsible to my people. So I get up. I eat breakfast. I watch the news,’’ said Atkins. “I begin to strategize. I think about 2025.’’

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/11/06/black-women-grieve-kamala-harris-loss/76093045007/

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VP Kamala Harris was the FIRST woman to get into the West Wing of the White House through an election. There is no discounting that achievement. There are many of us whose ancestors dreamed of the day of finally being "free" (literally out of slavery). THAT is the legacy that many black women carry when they look at this past Tuesday and compare to long ago, and see how far we have come.