Kamala Harris emphasized the voter’s power at the UH stop on her Texas campaign trip. | Donna Keeya/The Cougar
Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris spoke about Joe Biden’s platform on COVID-19, the economy and racial injustice among others during her visit to UH as the last stop on her Texas campaign trip Friday evening.
With just three days until Election Day, Harris focused her 20-minute address on issues facing working people and families. She emphasized the interconnectedness of what she refers to as the “four crises that are impacting us as a country.”
Harris kicked off with a topic likely not too far from the minds of the mask-clad, socially-distanced audience: the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are in the midst of a public health crisis,” Harris said. “Over 220,000 people have lost their lives in just the last several months, many of whom, tragically, couldn’t even be with relatives and friends, holding their hand, speaking to them in person in their last hours on earth.”
With cases on the rise in Harris County, the coronavirus continues to have far-reaching effects on the economy and the job market.
“If you want to know how I think the economy is doing, then tell me how working people are doing, how working families are doing,” Harris said. “We are in the midst of many crises.”
Another such crisis? The racial injustice in America, Harris said.
“Joe has the ability to understand that there is a long-overdue reckoning taking place,” Harris said. “Biden says we need to deal with this, we need to deal with racial disparities in terms of the healthcare system, knowing that African Americans and Latinos are three times more likely to contract COVID and twice as likely to die from it.”
Harris also underscored the importance of police reform to combat racial injustice, addressing the members of George Floyd’s family who were among the crowd.
“Joe Biden says we need to reform policing to the point that we all agree everyone should face accountability and consequences if they break the law,” Harris said.
To conclude, Harris emphasized the urgency of voters utilizing what she referred to as their “power” by casting their ballot on Nov. 3.
“Why are so many powerful people trying to make it so difficult and confusing for us to vote? … The answer is because they know our power,” Harris said. “They know our power to stand up and exercise our voice to vote … Let’s not let anyone, not this election or ever, take our power from us.”
