Kamala Harris enters fast-tracked presidential campaign
Over 164,000 women joined a Zoom call to discuss support, privilege and allyship as they raised millions for the vice president’s campaign.
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"Girl, we broke Zoom," exclaimed Erin Gallagher in a text early Friday morning, less than nine hours after hosting "White Women: Answer The Call! Show up for Kamala Harris," a meeting held over Zoom the previous night. The number of attendees exceeded expectations, causing the platform to crash multiple times, and many participants had to resort to watching the livestream on YouTube.
The event attracted over 164,000 women, including prominent figures such as singer P!nk, actor Connie Britton, writer and podcaster Glennon Doyle, athletes Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird, and Abby Wambach, as well as several elected officials like Congresswomen Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Lizzie Fletcher of Texas. The goal of the gathering was to urge White women to acknowledge their privilege and the missed opportunities to leverage it as political capital, encouraging them to take action and avoid repeating past mistakes.
With the 2022 midterm elections approaching, White women have the chance to elect the first woman of color as president and make a significant impact on the political landscape. The organizers of the call, including Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, recognized the importance of this moment. Watts shared her experience in organizing White, wealthy, and suburban mothers against gun violence and the need to expand their perspective beyond school shootings to encompass the broader issue of gun violence in communities of color.
Co-organizer Erin Gallagher echoed similar sentiments, acknowledging the pattern of "toxic White women" who often find themselves in positions of power and influence among both men and women. The call aimed to address the voting history of White women in recent presidential elections and respond to the perceived assaults on women's rights, particularly the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision ending federal abortion rights.
The organizers invested significant time and effort into preparing for the call, consulting with women who led the "Win With Black Women" call in 2020. They emphasized the importance of highlighting the work of organizations and individuals dedicated to these causes while also taking responsibility for their own labor. Black women have been the Democratic Party's most reliable voting bloc, with 91 percent supporting Biden in 2020, and the organizers aimed to channel their energy and strategies.
Amanda Litman, co-founder of Run For Something, reflected on the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement in bringing about a cultural awakening and making conversations about White supremacy, White fragility, and the role of White women more accessible and familiar. The call provided concrete action steps for White women to demonstrate their allyship, such as making lists of friends to contact, creating a voting plan, and committing to volunteering for the Harris campaign.
The response to the call was overwhelming, with tens of thousands of new volunteer sign-ups for the Harris campaign and over $8.5 million raised by Friday afternoon. The enthusiasm and engagement from White women signal a potential shift in political engagement, as they recognize the importance of using their collective power to support Kamala Harris and address the assaults on women's rights.
Sali Christeson, founder and CEO of the women's workwear brand Argent, shared her experience growing up in the South, where women are often expected to vote alongside their parents or spouses without questioning. She felt a sense of urgency and collective enthusiasm among White women, many of whom expressed their support for Harris despite their conservative backgrounds or Republican spouses. Looking back at the 2016 election, Christeson acknowledged that more could have been done and emphasized the need for vocal and visible support for Harris in this critical election.
"Girl, we broke Zoom," exclaimed Erin Gallagher in a text early Friday morning, less than nine hours after hosting "White Women: Answer The Call! Show up for Kamala Harris," a meeting held over Zoom the previous night. The number of attendees exceeded expectations, causing the platform to crash multiple times, and many participants had to resort to watching the livestream on YouTube.
The event attracted over 164,000 women, including prominent figures such as singer P!nk, actor Connie Britton, writer and podcaster Glennon Doyle, athletes Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird, and Abby Wambach, as well as several elected officials like Congresswomen Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Lizzie Fletcher of Texas. The goal of the gathering was to urge White women to acknowledge their privilege and the missed opportunities to leverage it as political capital, encouraging them to take action and avoid repeating past mistakes.
With the 2022 midterm elections approaching, White women have the chance to elect the first woman of color as president and make a significant impact on the political landscape. The organizers of the call, including Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, recognized the importance of this moment. Watts shared her experience in organizing White, wealthy, and suburban mothers against gun violence and the need to expand their perspective beyond school shootings to encompass the broader issue of gun violence in communities of color.
Co-organizer Erin Gallagher echoed similar sentiments, acknowledging the pattern of "toxic White women" who often find themselves in positions of power and influence among both men and women. The call aimed to address the voting history of White women in recent presidential elections and respond to the perceived assaults on women's rights, particularly the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision ending federal abortion rights.
The organizers invested significant time and effort into preparing for the call, consulting with women who led the "Win With Black Women" call in 2020. They emphasized the importance of highlighting the work of organizations and individuals dedicated to these causes while also taking responsibility for their own labor. Black women have been the Democratic Party's most reliable voting bloc, with 91 percent supporting Biden in 2020, and the organizers aimed to channel their energy and strategies.
Amanda Litman, co-founder of Run For Something, reflected on the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement in bringing about a cultural awakening and making conversations about White supremacy, White fragility, and the role of White women more accessible and familiar. The call provided concrete action steps for White women to demonstrate their allyship, such as making lists of friends to contact, creating a voting plan, and committing to volunteering for the Harris campaign.
The response to the call was overwhelming, with tens of thousands of new volunteer sign-ups for the Harris campaign and over $8.5 million raised by Friday afternoon. The enthusiasm and engagement from White women signal a potential shift in political engagement, as they recognize the importance of using their collective power to support Kamala Harris and address the assaults on women's rights.
Sali Christeson, founder and CEO of the women's workwear brand Argent, shared her experience growing up in the South, where women are often expected to vote alongside their parents or spouses without questioning. She felt a sense of urgency and collective enthusiasm among White women, many of whom expressed their support for Harris despite their conservative backgrounds or Republican spouses. Looking back at the 2016 election, Christeson acknowledged that more could have been done and emphasized the need for vocal and visible support for Harris in this critical election.