Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden took note of the historic moment Wednesday when introducing Senator Kamala Harris, his vice presidential choice, at a campaign event in Delaware.Biden and Harris, who both came onstage wearing face masks because of the coronavirus pandemic, spoke from the stage of a high school in Biden’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.Their speeches focused on the theme of their campaign, stressing their leadership in helping Americans during the crises of the pandemic and growing economic turmoil, as well as the inspirational message of choosing Harris.“This morning,all across the nation, little girls woke up — especially little Black and brown girls, who so often feel overlooked and undervalued in their communities — but today, just maybe they’re seeing themselves for the first time in a new way,” Biden said.Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, joined by his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris, speaks during a campaign event at Alexis Dupont High School in Wilmington, Del., Aug. 12, 2020.About 100 people, most of them Wilmington residents, gathered outside Alexis DuPont high school on Wednesday for just a glimpse of the candidates.Janice Nelson, left, brought her 14-year-old son to the high school in hopes of catching a glimpse of the first Black vice presidential nominee, August 12, 2020. (E. Sarai/VOA)“I thought it was important to come out to see history,” Janice Nelson, a Delaware native standing alongside her 14-year-old son, told VOA.“We don’t know if I’ll get a glimpse of them or not. It doesn’t matter. We just want to be here to say that we’re voting,” she said.A few attendees wore Biden shirts or hats. One man had fashioned his own “Biden Harris” sign, just hours after Harris was named Biden’s running mate when little merchandise featuring both names has been made available. About 100 people now at the back of the high school – including a handful of people protesting Biden for his stance on abortion. Unclear who is already inside. Shealese Russell-Reams, left, and Melanie Daniels, co-workers and members of Kamala Harris’ sorority, AKA, spent their lunch break hoping to catch a glimpse of the newly named VP candidate, August 12, 2020. (E. Sarai/VOA)“We are coming out to support this monumental experience,” Melanie Daniels, an AKA member dressed all in pink, told VOA outside the high school.”And as a Delaware native and a graduate, class of ’88, Alexis DuPont High School, it’s just an awesome moment in time for us,” her colleague, Shealese Russell-Reams, who was dressed all in green, added. The two women were among more than a dozen people who stopped by over the lunch hour in hopes of catching a glimpse of Biden and Harris entering the high school, where a virtual fundraiser was scheduled to take place later Wednesday afternoon.After winning enough primaries to secure the nomination earlier this year, Biden, 77, committed himself to picking a female running mate. There was much speculation he would choose a Black woman to run with him. A number of familiar and respected names surfaced in the press as potential candidates. Harris delivered stinging criticism of Biden during the primary debates but had high praise for him during a campaign event several weeks ago. “Joe has empathy. He has a proven track record of leadership, and more than ever before, we need a president of the United States who understands who the people are, sees them where they are, and has a genuine desire to help and knows how to fight to get us where we need to be,” Harris said. Harris, 55, was born in Oakland, California. She is the daughter of immigrants — her father is from Jamaica, and her mother is from India. She graduated from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and was elected district attorney for San Francisco in 2003 and California attorney general in 2010. Harris arrived in Washington less than four years ago as a U.S Democratic senator from California. In her 2020 presidential campaign, Harris was briefly the Democratic front-runner after success in the early debates.Harris is only the third woman ever picked for vice president by a major party. Semocratic Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro was Vice President Walter Mondale’s running mate in 1984 when they lost by a landslide to the Republican ticket of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin ran with Republican John McCain in 2008 but lost to Democrats Barack Obama and Biden.
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