In the hours before Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage Thursday, murmurs of excitement filled the air. As they stood in a hall behind guarded doors, hundreds of people eagerly anticipated her delivering the keynote speech for the American Federation of Teachers annual convention at George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. The clock struck 8 a.m. when people finally began to be let through. Secret Service agents rifled through attendees’ bags as the long line slowly inched forward.
Once participants entered, they gathered in groups and eagerly snapped pictures and videos of the stage and the surrounding area. The crowd was decorated with signs, shirts, and buttons promoting the expected Democratic Party’s nominee for president. Pop music played over the speakers as people slowly took their seats.
Patriotic music marked Harris’s entrance. The crowd gave the vice president an enthusiastic welcome, filled with cheers and applause.
“Today, we face a choice between two very different visions for our nation,” Harris said. “One focused on the future, and the other focused on the past.”
Over the course of her speech, Harris discussed her campaign and her views of the opposing party.
“[Donald Trump] intends to give tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations and make working families split the bill. He intends to end the Affordable Care Act,” Harris said. “Now, think about that. America has tried these failed economic policies before, but we are not going back. No, we will move forward.”
Harris endorsed the PRO Act, a law to amend labor rights and allow labor workers to organize and create unions. Harris said she believes that unions helped shape America.
“One of the best ways to keep our nation moving forward is to give workers a voice. President Joe Biden and I promised to sign the PRO Act [and] I will,” she said.
The crowd milled around before and after Harris’s speech, chatting and discussing the day’s events. Montana State Senator Jill Cohenour was one of the many advocates for voter turnout.
“I really want people to understand how necessary it’s going to be for us to participate in this election,” Cohenour said. “[We] need every single person to vote to make their voice heard.”
Cohenour was not alone in her support for Harris. Carole Gauronskas, the vice president of the Florida Education Association, was passionate about what Harris would represent as the first mulitracial and female president.
“I thought of every little girl that has never seen someone who looks like her [in a government position]. And to have that little girl’s dreams, brought right from imagination to reality?” Gauronskas said. “I’m so excited.”
Harris said her policies as president will include reinstating reproductive rights, protecting LGBTQ+ rights, racial and social justice, affordable healthcare and access to Medicaid, reforming the Department of Education and gun control laws.
“So, we want to ban assault weapons, and they want to ban books.” Harris said.
Harris ended her speech asking the visitors for support.
“Are you ready to make your voices heard? Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in the promise of America? And are we ready to fight for it?” Harris said.
Her questions were met with chants and cheers, signaling a clear “Yes.”
“I say bring it on.”
–July 25, 2024–
