Jotaka Eaddy was sitting on her parents’ porch in South Carolina on Sunday afternoon when she received a text from an activist friend.
Eaddy, a founder of the grassroots group Win With Black Women, immediately went into organizing mode.
She began texting in a group chat with other Black women political organizers.
Who were equally determined to support Harris in her historic bid to become the nation’s first Black female president.
“It was time to go to work,” Eaddy said. “It was clear that it was time to turn it up 10 times.”
The group chat quickly turned into a brainstorming session on how to mobilize as many Black women as possible around Harris.
They spent the next five hours spreading the word about their weekly Sunday night Zoom call.
The call drew 44,000 attendees, with an additional 50,000 listening on other platforms when Zoom reached capacity. The event raised $1.5 million for Harris’ campaign.
The call marked the beginning of a movement of Black women rallying to help Harris secure a historic win in November.
Thousands of Black women organizers across the country are planning voter registration drives, conference calls, campaign events, and fundraisers.
Harris’ sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., announced it would partner with other Black Greek letter organizations to launch a massive nonpartisan voter mobilization campaign.
These collective efforts have historically helped Democrats win elections, and many Black female organizers believe they can do it again.
Black women backing Harris
Black women are the most loyal voting bloc of the Democratic Party, with 90% supporting Biden in 2020.
Harris has been actively engaging with Black women voters, speaking at Black sorority conventions in recent weeks.
She addressed the AKA Boule in Dallas and delivered remarks at the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. conference in Indianapolis.
“There is so much at stake in this moment,” Harris said at the Zeta Phi Beta conference.
“Our nation is counting on you to energize, organize, mobilize, register folks to vote, get them to the polls, and fight for the future our nation deserves.”
As the campaign progresses, Black women are gearing up for the challenges ahead, ready to support Harris and make their voices heard.
