SPECIAL REPORT: Vice President Kamala Harris Loses the 2024 Presidential Race
Let's talk about this election...
Hello,
Welcome to The Diamond Report. This issue will be different from the rest. I had an entire newsletter planned out for this month, which I still plan to release, but the election and its results are at the forefront of my thoughts. I decided to create this special edition to share my thoughts, other reactions that I have been seeing and more.
But, before I go any deeper, I would like to welcome you to The Diamond Club, where I talk about all things entertainment and culture. If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe and come back for more!
I am certain that we all know the fate of the country by now, but in case there’s anyone who has been living under a rock or ignoring all forms of media for the past week, allow me to catch you up.
Election Night
On Nov. 5, the voting results poured in from across the nation. For the most part, everyone knew that the red states were going to stay red and the blue states were going to stay blue. There was no surprise when President-elect Donald Trump won Idaho and Wyoming, or when Vice President Kamala Harris won California and New York. All eyes were truly on the swing states, especially the “Blue Wall” states, which are Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. It was made clear to any Harris supporter over and over again by various newscasters, like CNN’s John King, that if she lost Pennsylvania, she’d essentially lose the election.
It looked promising in the beginning, with the two out of three of these swing states blue, and the remaining one — Wisconsin — still having a large percentage of votes outstanding from highly dense Democratic populations. However, when Pennsylvania and Michigan turned red, the energy of the night shifted.
King kept saying that the race wasn’t over yet, but as he compared the performance results of Harris to President Joe Biden’s from the 2020 Presidential Election, fear really began to set in for me. The gap continued to grow wider, and Trump was over performing in a lot of key areas. It quickly started to feel like 2016, and that feeling was overwhelming for multiple reasons.
I went to sleep a little after 1 a.m., when it was announced that Harris lost Georgia. Trump was ahead in the polls for the entire blue wall by a large margin, and the election map was looking very grim. Around 3 a.m., I woke back up and (like any media person would do) checked my phone for any updates. A quick scroll revealed the heart wrenching truth that I knew when I closed my eyes just two hours before: Trump would become the 47th President of the “United” States of America.
November 6, 2020: The Day After
To put it plainly, the next day was rough.
“There are African American women, who … tried to dream a big dream over the past couple of months, and tonight they are trading in a lot of hope for a lot of hurt,” said political analyst Van Jones during a live CNN broadcast. “They were hoping that maybe this time one of their own could be seen as worthy, and once again they’re facing rejection. And, that hurts. They thought tomorrow morning they were going to walk out with their shoulders back a little bit and be able to breathe for the first time and feel like they belong some place. They did everything that they knew how to do, and it’s going to be harder than it should be tomorrow for them to hold their heads up.”
It felt like a dark cloud cast itself over the United States. I, along with many of my friends, family and co-workers, felt drained and exhausted. We felt depleted and confused. Harris losing the election reminded the Black community of that age-old saying: you have to be twice as good to get half as much. It’s not that Harris wasn’t qualified to be POTUS or that she didn’t give her all to her campaign, breaking records and reigniting the fight for the presidency.
It all came down to two things that she cannot change: the color of her skin and her gender identity. The election results served as a reminder that those qualities will always supersede a person’s merit and accolades in America.
This is the sentiment that weighed heavily on Black people, especially Black women, who are undeniably the backbone of the country. From political movements to boosting the economy, Black women always show up and push the needle.
But, far too often, the same energy is never returned. Black women are at the bottom of the totem pole, with everything we can’t control stacked against us.
Does POC/BIPOC Solidarity Truly Exist?
The conversation on whether there’s solidarity between minority communities is not anything new. However, with the release of the exit poll data, this conversation has been brought to the forefront again.
While the exit poll data shows that Black people showed up overwhelmingly for Harris, it also shows the lack of support from the other people of color.
“This information tells us that there is no such thing as people of color,” said Sasha Whitney, a DEI and mindfulness coach, in a recently posted TikTok video. In the video, she argued the term “People of Color” should not be used interchangeably with or to represent Black people. “When it comes to conversation about diversity, equity, inclusion and representation, we see Black voices, typically Black women, be the most vocal [and] be on the front lines of pushing [and] advocating for diversity, equity, inclusion and representation; however, the people who benefit from it are not the people actively pushing for it.”
Black women are always advocating, fighting and pushing for marginalized communities. Leading up to the election, it appeared that the other minorities would finally show up for Black people. After #WinWithBlackWomen’s historic Zoom call in July, many other minority groups hosted calls of their own to raise money and support for Harris. The exit polls, however, reveal a different truth.
It almost seems like Black people were lulled into a false hope. This data brought back the hard truth for many that we are in this fight by ourselves. So, in response, Black people are deciding to take a step back. We are tired of being on the front lines and giving energy that is never returned.
“To be clear, I think this is going to be the biggest loss to the pro-Palestinian movement, after the fact that y’all just elected Donald Trump,” said technology lawyer and political analyst Isvari Maranwe in a recently posted TikTok video. “I don’t think there’s going to be a strong pro-Palestine movement in the U.S. anymore or even globally because Black men and women have always been at the forefront of that, and they are very rightfully saying, "‘I quit. This is your problem now.’”
What Does The Future Look Like?
Black people have been held at the heel of the United States’ boot for far too long. Without the lives, blood, sweat and tears of our ancestors, America wouldn’t exist. However, even in this disheartening news, I have hope. To put it simply and quote Harris, Black people are not going back.
Over the past couple of days, the constant uplifting sentiments and reassurance from my church, my family, my friends and my daily Bible verse app helped me find solace with the results. I have found comfort in the fact that Black people are simply unwilling to go backwards. Regardless of who is in office, the fight for freedom and justice continues.
In her concession speech, Harris made it clear that she doesn’t “concede the fight that fueled this campaign.” She urged everyone to continue pushing for fundamental rights and freedoms, both loudly in the voting booths and courts, and quietly by how we treat one another.
Yes, the next four years will be tumultuous. We will witness some insane things over Trump’s second term. But, what I’ve learned over the course of my life, found comfort in over the last few days and held close to my chest throughout all of these ebbs and flows is that we are resilient. The fight for freedom has always been an uphill, rocky battle, but it’s never been one that we cowered away from.
Although Harris lost this election, it doesn’t feel like the end to me. Instead, it feels like the start of something new. And, you know what, they always say that the third time’s a charm.
The Future Of The Media
For anyone who is unaware of the media’s mass layoffs, lack of job opportunities, long interview processes that ultimately lead to ghosting, insane workload expectations and infinitesimal hiring budgets, I can tell you all about it. However, to give the short version of a very long story, the media industry is currently in shambles. There’s a lot of speculation on how it reached this all-time low, but in the case of politics, I want to focus on one point in particular: public distrust
Trump’s “fake news” propaganda took a major toll on the media industry. It created this tense environment, where trusted media outlets are criticized for simply reporting the truth and aiming to stay unbiased. Even Harris recently said that it was “disappointing” that major publications, like The Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post, didn’t endorse a candidate.
One of the first lessons of journalism ethics class is understanding the power of what you say and what you write. As a journalist, we are trained to know that what we say or write can influence public opinion and drastically impact the livelihood of others. With their platforms, Trump’s blatant attack on the media and Harris’ throwaway comments on her disappointment only hurts the industry. It creates more public distrust that journalists are already struggling to win back. These next four years, with Trump returning to office and criticizing journalists for simply doing the jobs that they trained for, will be challenging, especially for an industry that is already struggling to stay afloat.
Other (Crazy) Election News
Harris lost the popular vote by a little under four million votes.
Trump completed a battleground sweep by winning Arizona, bringing his final electoral vote tally to 312. Harris won 226 electoral votes.
Jason Lee, “Love and Hip Hop Hollywood” reality star and CEO of Hollywood Unlocked, is now an elected official.
The Republicans control the U.S. Senate, which is responsible for taking “action on bills, resolutions, amendments, motions, nominations and treaties by voting.”
The Republicans are on the brink of holding their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, which is responsible for making and passing federal laws.
Highlighted Pieces
Barack and Michelle Obama’s Top Moments of Black Love at The DNC - Black Love
Forever First Lady Michelle Obama's DNC Speech Inspires Hope and Perseverance - 21Ninety
Elaine Welteroth Hopes to Save Black Moms and Babies with birthFUND - 21Ninety
LGBTQ+ Members Reflect On Strength in Solidarity And Allyship - ESSENCE GU
Kim Johnson’s Latest Novel, ‘Invisible Son,’ Explores Black Boyhood in America - Shondaland
Adapted for young readers, Carlotta Walls LaNier’s ‘A Mighty Long Way’ shows why we still fight - theGrio
Anissa Gray Explores How to Overcome Generational Trauma in Her Novel ‘Life and Other Love Songs’ - Shondaland
How the History of Forced Sterilization of Black Women Informed Dolen Perkins-Valdez’s Novel, ‘Take My Hand’ - Shondaland
This is a well written piece that covers all the bases with respect to how this election cycle played out. What I take away from this article is that despite the outcome we have hope and we will not go back!! If our ancestors endured and pushed through 400 years of slavery, Jim Crow, and Segregation; We Will make it through this administration.