Kamala Harris gave her concession speech to an audience of hundreds at Howard University where she watched the election results the night before.
The crowd on Nov. 6 wasn’t as large as it was at Harris’ election night watch party, but hundreds of people came today to show their support.
Students, community members, Vice President Harris supporters and a swarm of media gathered in front of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Hall on the Howard University campus. All eyes focused on one stage partly surrounded by bulletproof glass.
“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” Harris said.
Harris’ speech ran less than 15 minutes. She thanked her supporters and asked them not to give up on issues they feel are important.
“Hard work is good work. Hard work is joyful work and the fight for our country is always worth it,” she said.
Howard University student Skylar Matlock watched Harris’ speech. She says she felt both sad and scared when she found out Harris lost the election.
“She could have said a lot but she chose to take the high road, which, as a freshman at Howard, I look up to her as our alum,” Matlock said.
Craig Byrnes has lived in D.C. for 32 years. He says it was important for him to stand with others in the crowd and be at the event in person.
“I had to come and see her face because I knew that she was gonna talk and say thank you and I knew that she was gonna say, ‘Let’s look at the larger picture here,” Byrnes said.
After Harris finished her speech, most in the crowd quickly dispersed. Some stayed behind to take pictures or to comfort one another.