“My heart is full today,” she started her speech.
In an address to her supporters inside the campus of her alma mater, Howard University, in Washington D.C., American Vice President Kamala Harris formally conceded defeat in the recent Presidential elections.
Harris began her speech by saying that she is full of gratitude to the trust given to her, love for her country, and resolve.
“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for. But hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting,” she said before an emotional crowd erupted with a roaring applause.
The Democratic presidential nominee also thanked her family, incumbent President Joe Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden, her running mate Governor Tim Walz, and the volunteers and staffers of her campaign.
“I am so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it,” the Vice President said about her 107-day long campaign — one of the shortest in modern history.
She also conveyed her message of unity, as “there is a lot more in common than what separates us.”
“Now I know folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now… I get it. But we must accept the results of this election,” and told that she had reached out to her opponent, now President-elect Donald Trump to congratulate him in his victory.
VP Harris also said that the incumbent government will help to ensure a peaceful transition of power.
“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” which she shared as their party’s common goal of fighting for freedom, opportunity, fairness, dignity of all people, and ideals that reflect “America at our best.”
She reiterated her vow to fight for the bodily autonomy of women that has been heavily stifled and at threat of being repealed, protecting schools and streets from gun violence, and the rule of law.
Harris also directed a message to the youth who are feeling sad about the result of the election, as “it is okay to feel sad and disappointed, but please know that it’s gonna be okay.”
She continued, “On the campaign, I would often say ‘when we fight, we win.’ But here’s the thing, sometimes, the fight takes awhile, but it doesn’t mean that we won’t win. The important thing is don’t ever give up… don’t ever stop making a better place to live in.”
The Veep also encouraged her supporters to “not despair” and instead “to roll up our sleeves” to organize, mobilize, and “stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice, and the future that we all know that we can build together.”
She also included in her speech an adage, which states “only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”
“I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time. But for the benefit of us all, I hope that it is not the case. If it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant billion of stars, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth, and of service.”
She closed her speech by saying, “May that work guide us even in the face of setbacks toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America.”