Vice President Kamala Harris at Howard on Voting Rights

Vice President Kamala Harris (B.A. ’86) rallied an audience at Howard University in a powerful defense of voting rights and the need to ensure that all American voices are heard in the political process.

Speaking at Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library in July, Harris addressed members of the Howard community, local community organizers and volunteers for civil rights organizations. The Howard alumna spoke about her party’s efforts to combat voter suppression and protect voting rights nationwide. At the campus event, Harris unveiled a $25 million expansion of the Democratic National Committee’s “I Will Vote” initiative to address and overcome efforts across the country to make voting more difficult and burdensome.

“Your vote matters. Your voice matters. Your will matters,” Harris said. “Your desire for yourself and your families matters, and regardless of who you are, where you live or what party you belong to, your vote matters. Your vote is your power, and I say don’t ever let anyone take your power from you.”

The event was one of the first major visits by Harris to Howard’s campus since taking office. It also represented the first major public event held on campus since the pandemic began. Harris’ remarks at Howard University come in the midst of political efforts to pass restrictive voting laws across the country.