New York State Sen. Cordell Cleare asked the crowd assembled at the Harriet Tubman Memorial in Harlem on Sunday afternoon, how many received the call “Harlem Black women for Kamala Harris?” Nearly every hand went in the air, several of them waving signs with “Harris for President.” “Those signs were not free,” Cleare said. “We had to pay for them, and we need more of them if Kamala is going to win this race.”
“When we fight, we win,” Cleare said, beginning a sustained chant. She repeated what she had written earlier in her call, that “Black women have a real stake in the election because we have been underrepresented and underserved on every level.”
A benediction was offered by the Rev. Sandra Baker of Mt. Nebo Baptist Church. “We thank you God because you brought us to this moment,” she began. “We believe this is our winning season.” And she gave a shout-out to the annual Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba Day celebration that was taking place at the State Office Building. Assemblymember-Elect Jordan Wright offered his support for the women and Harris, and he was followed by Councilmember Yusef Salaam, who reminded the crowd that Trump was a convicted felon, and “we are being inspired like we’ve never been before.”
Salaam can speak with authority about Trump’s attempts to have the Exonerated Five convicted and executed. The inspiration came from the fact that “we have a convicted felon who is running…who can’t even vote according to current laws in America,” Salaam said before a rousing response.
After President Biden ended his bid and endorsed Vice President Harris to take his place at the top of the Democratic ticket, it set off a tsunami of volunteers, money, and endorsements. Cleare quickly decided it was time for Black women in Harlem to join the wave of enthusiasm for Harris and five other women called for Sunday’s event. “Women are the driving force behind progress in this country,” said Assemblymember Inez Dickens. “We have the power and the opportunity to shape the future, to back the House, and elect a president who truly represents the diverse fabric of our nation. Kamala Harris is that leader. She has the vision, experience, and compassion to lead us forward.”
Dickens was not at the rally, but hundreds of her loyal followers were, including Jackie Rowe-Adams and Iesha Sekou of Harlem Street Corner Resources. Several Black men joined the procession that left the Tubman Memorial and reassembled inside the Dwyer Cultural Center and developed a full mechanism for participation in the New York Democratic campaign, said Valerie Jo Bradley, a Harlem preservationist.
Black women, as the world knows, have been the backbone of the Democratic Party, something set in motion by the pioneering spirit of Rep. Shirley Chisholm. Sen. Cleare echoed that sentiment. “I am confident that it will be Black women who will get Kamala Harris elected president.”