Inside the Kamala Harris Headquarters Wake Party at Howard University

WASHINGTON, DC – After some of the most memorable 15 weeks in presidential campaign history, it was time to pause – and wait. But also celebrate.

For Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, this waiting period took place at Howard University in Washington, DC. The historically black college is Harris’ alma mater, a place she has often called home. And the mood? Equal parts watch party and jubilant Harris rally.

The official campaign watch was held in the Yard at Howard; Students across campus were engaged in their own waiting game, acknowledging the significance of the moment — the possibility that a woman of color and HBCU graduate was so close to winning the presidency.

D.C.-area students, faculty and residents began lining up on the sidewalk in the afternoon waiting to enter Howard University’s watch party, well before the official start time of 6 p.m. ET, an hour before polls began closing on the East Coast . As vendors hawked unofficial campaign merchandise, there was equal parts joy and concern.

Cherion Worthem, a Howard graduate originally from Atlanta, said she experienced a wide range of emotions. “I’m very nervous, but excited – and hope is my main feeling.” The importance of the outcome of this election for women’s rights weighed heavily on her.

At 7:45 p.m. the courtyard began to fill with students. As the crowd gathered, a DJ played music and participants broke into several line dances, which are a tradition and ritual at HBCUs and Black Greek organizations. The mood was celebratory, even if there were no concrete results.

Worthem, a political science student, said she hopes for a Harris victory “with everything inside of me.” She said she voted for Harris not only because they shared an alma mater, but because she was “not just the person with better character, but also with better policies and a better plan – not just ‘concepts of a plan.'” be.

In a conversation with Zerlina Maxwell on Tuesday evening on Sirius Radio

“I truly believe this is one of the most momentous elections of our lifetime, and we have a real choice before us… to fan the flames of hate and fear – or do we want to move on and bring an end to this era?” “What’s going on that’s about creating a new generation of leaders in America?” Harris asked. She then shared details of the core tenets of her “Opportunity Economy” plan, including a $25,000 down payment assistance program for first-time homebuyers, a $6,000 child tax credit and $20,000 in forgivable loans dollars for start-up small businesses.

Harris also spoke passionately about the impact of overturning Roe v. Wade on the lives of Americans — and the role her opponent, former President Donald Trump, played in creating that reality on the ground.

“Women had extraordinary complications with miscarriages and were denied treatment, developed sepsis and only then received treatment. IVF treatments are at risk. Access to contraceptives is at risk,” Harris said. “So we’re talking about such a fundamental freedom, which is a woman’s freedom to make decisions about her own body and not have the government tell her what to do.”

Ve Wright, a junior journalism student at Howard from Broward County, Florida, was excited about the representation Harris brings to the table. As an Indian and Black myself, the excitement about what it means to see Harris in this position was at its peak tonight. For Wright, Tuesday evening was also primarily about the future of reproductive rights. “We definitely want women to be able to take care of their own health, to take responsibility for their own health.” The sight of a “powerful black woman” leading this attack only underscored the critical point feeling of the moment.

Denise Blackburn, a Virginia resident who, like Harris, is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, said election night felt like a “turning of the tide” as we simply look forward and how our country is should look and how we want it to represent ourselves. All of us – not just part of the population.”

At the end of her conversation with Maxwell, Harris also emphasized this point.

“His plan is about grievance. It’s about himself,” the vice president said of Trump. “This is a moment when we have an opportunity to raise a new generation of leadership in America and finally turn around all the noise that, quite frankly, has been about dividing people. Let’s bring people together because we know that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than divides us.”

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated a student’s pronouns. Another source was incorrectly described as a Howard student, which is not the case.