Calls to Defend Harris: “We need to defend our sister everywhere”
On Sunday, a crowd of tens of thousands rallied to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, successfully raising over $1 million in the effort.
TroibNews 
NEW YORK — Democrats surged with new energy after a month of bleak prospects.
Following President Joe Biden’s unexpected announcement on Sunday that he would not seek reelection, an extensive mobilization effort for Vice President Kamala Harris was launched by tens of thousands of Black women nationwide, including many in New York.
Among the prominent New York figures on the “Win With Black Women” virtual call Sunday evening were State Attorney General Tish James and New York-based consultants Lupe Todd-Medina, Amelia Adams, Tyquana Henderson-Rivers, and Rachel Noerdlinger. This organization was created in 2020 to back Black female candidates for public office.
Other notable New Yorkers participating in the Zoom call included NAACP New York President Hazel Dukes, Brooklyn State Senator Roxanne Persaud, Long Island Assemblymember Michaelle Solages, Higher Heights for America PAC President Glynda Carr, Board of Regents member Hasoni Pratts, and Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill Johnson.
The event saw tens of thousands of participants, raising $1.5 million, as revealed by a social media post and a participant who spoke on condition of anonymity about the confidential gathering. Strategy memos and talking points were distributed to consolidate support for Harris, potentially the nation’s first female president.
“We need to defend our sister everywhere,” the meeting notes obtained by POLITICO read. “It is a ‘thing’ to have MAGA world chasing you.”
The memo's organizers urged readers to “pick at least one section or a part of a section of Project 2025 to read and become a subject matter expert in order to be armed w/ info & to support the effort that way.” Project 2025 is a comprehensive policy document crafted with input from former advisers of Donald Trump, from which the Republican candidate and his team have been trying to distance themselves, while Democrats increase their warnings about its contents.
The strategic plan also called for attendees to convince Democratic Party delegates to pledge support for Harris. “She needs 300 to get her name for the nomination; they want to secure over 2K delegates,” it stated.
Additionally, it emphasized her strengths, such as her interactions with foreign leaders as Vice President. “She can make age and vigor an issue,” it noted, subtly contrasting her with the 81-year-old Biden and the 78-year-old Trump.
Harris faces significant challenges.
Republicans promptly criticized her on Sunday, pointing to the ongoing border crisis, an issue she has been assigned to manage. (Polls show general dissatisfaction with how the Biden administration has handled immigration, primarily due to concerns regarding the southern border.)
Some progressives have previously expressed reservations about her prosecutorial background, while conservatives question her stance on Israel, a critical issue for many in New York.
Polling indicates Trump has an edge in key battleground states such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, which are crucial for Democratic success in November. (Polling with Harris as the presumptive nominee is sparse as she has not secured the nomination yet.)
However, those on the virtual call were prepared to organize.
“It was just really the excitement of Black women and our allies not wanting to miss this historic moment,” said Jotaka Eaddy, founder of Win With Black Women and organizer of the call.
The meeting was so popular that some attempting to join received a message stating it had reached its maximum capacity, as screenshots shared with POLITICO revealed.
Attorney General James has also been active in rallying the support of Black attorneys general for Harris, herself a former attorney general.
She announced Sunday that she and the five other Black state attorneys general in the U.S.— from Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Nevada — will form a coalition to support Harris. They expressed their backing for Harris in a joint statement Sunday evening.
Solages, the Long Island Assemblymember, said the call convinced her to endorse the Vice President.
“It really turned the course for me," she said, “and made me realize that our only option is supporting Kamala Harris for President.”
A version of this story first appeared Friday in New York Playbook PM. Subscribe here.
Lucas Dupont contributed to this report for TROIB News
Following President Joe Biden’s unexpected announcement on Sunday that he would not seek reelection, an extensive mobilization effort for Vice President Kamala Harris was launched by tens of thousands of Black women nationwide, including many in New York.
Among the prominent New York figures on the “Win With Black Women” virtual call Sunday evening were State Attorney General Tish James and New York-based consultants Lupe Todd-Medina, Amelia Adams, Tyquana Henderson-Rivers, and Rachel Noerdlinger. This organization was created in 2020 to back Black female candidates for public office.
Other notable New Yorkers participating in the Zoom call included NAACP New York President Hazel Dukes, Brooklyn State Senator Roxanne Persaud, Long Island Assemblymember Michaelle Solages, Higher Heights for America PAC President Glynda Carr, Board of Regents member Hasoni Pratts, and Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill Johnson.
The event saw tens of thousands of participants, raising $1.5 million, as revealed by a social media post and a participant who spoke on condition of anonymity about the confidential gathering. Strategy memos and talking points were distributed to consolidate support for Harris, potentially the nation’s first female president.
“We need to defend our sister everywhere,” the meeting notes obtained by POLITICO read. “It is a ‘thing’ to have MAGA world chasing you.”
The memo's organizers urged readers to “pick at least one section or a part of a section of Project 2025 to read and become a subject matter expert in order to be armed w/ info & to support the effort that way.” Project 2025 is a comprehensive policy document crafted with input from former advisers of Donald Trump, from which the Republican candidate and his team have been trying to distance themselves, while Democrats increase their warnings about its contents.
The strategic plan also called for attendees to convince Democratic Party delegates to pledge support for Harris. “She needs 300 to get her name for the nomination; they want to secure over 2K delegates,” it stated.
Additionally, it emphasized her strengths, such as her interactions with foreign leaders as Vice President. “She can make age and vigor an issue,” it noted, subtly contrasting her with the 81-year-old Biden and the 78-year-old Trump.
Harris faces significant challenges.
Republicans promptly criticized her on Sunday, pointing to the ongoing border crisis, an issue she has been assigned to manage. (Polls show general dissatisfaction with how the Biden administration has handled immigration, primarily due to concerns regarding the southern border.)
Some progressives have previously expressed reservations about her prosecutorial background, while conservatives question her stance on Israel, a critical issue for many in New York.
Polling indicates Trump has an edge in key battleground states such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, which are crucial for Democratic success in November. (Polling with Harris as the presumptive nominee is sparse as she has not secured the nomination yet.)
However, those on the virtual call were prepared to organize.
“It was just really the excitement of Black women and our allies not wanting to miss this historic moment,” said Jotaka Eaddy, founder of Win With Black Women and organizer of the call.
The meeting was so popular that some attempting to join received a message stating it had reached its maximum capacity, as screenshots shared with POLITICO revealed.
Attorney General James has also been active in rallying the support of Black attorneys general for Harris, herself a former attorney general.
She announced Sunday that she and the five other Black state attorneys general in the U.S.— from Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Nevada — will form a coalition to support Harris. They expressed their backing for Harris in a joint statement Sunday evening.
Solages, the Long Island Assemblymember, said the call convinced her to endorse the Vice President.
“It really turned the course for me," she said, “and made me realize that our only option is supporting Kamala Harris for President.”
A version of this story first appeared Friday in New York Playbook PM. Subscribe here.
Lucas Dupont contributed to this report for TROIB News
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