Black DNC Attendees React to VP Kamala Harris’ Historic Speech

CHICAGO: The Root spoke to Black attendees at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to ask which part of Vice President Kamala Harris’ historic nomination acceptance speech stood out to them the most—and they had a lot to say.

Geno Jones, who hails from South Carolina , is a radio host in his late 50s who believed Harris impressed supporters and critics alike.

“She hit every right note and I love her emotional intelligence. [Harris] talked about national security and policy and when it got to Trump...she looked and sounded like she was in a courtroom prosecuting a case but then she kind of switched back to smiling, [being] empathetic and compassionate. Her speech was a masterpiece.”

Martine St-victor, who is from Canada and works in communications, was also awed by Harris, but for different reasons. “I thought the messaging tonight was clear, direct...to millions of Americans she had to introduce herself—and she was absolutely hard enough on Trump,” St-victor, who is in her 40s, told The Root.

St-victor also believed that the Vice President had to be critical when talking about dictators and democracy, but still maintained a certain level of perceived softness. However, men rarely have this problem.

“I don’t know if men have to find this balance...they can be tough their entire speech and people will love it—women don’t have that luxury. If they are tough, people will ask ‘Why is she so angry?’ But I think Harris met that moment,” St-victor stated.

Younger attendees at the convention also picked up on this same sentiment. Miami native Cristian Rice, 28, echoed that Harris needed “to strike the right balance for people who don’t look like me” and that he understood “her coming across as tough as she could [on Trump] considering the national audience she has to appeal to.”

Margerie Martin, who is “from Chicago by way of Alabama,” attended all four days of the Democratic National Convention and felt reinvigorated by the Democratic nominee. The 53-year-old told The Root that after hearing Harris’ speech, Democrats will “stomp a mud hole in evil and press our way forward.”

Martin said Harris took Trump to task but that the former president receives way too much attention from Americans on both sides of the political spectrum. “I think she was [hard enough] in her speech on Trump, but I don’t want everything to be about Trump. We already got enough of that,” Martin explained.

“We gotta hear that 24/7 and [Harris] did it just enough for me. I don’t need to hear anymore bashing of Trump—he’s stupid enough all by himself.”