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Harris for President
Vice President Kamala Harris has formally accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for President of the United States. Ahead of her speech, some of the people who know Vice President Harris best took to the airwaves to talk about who she is and how she has touched their lives. Old friends described how her strength, intelligence, and empathy guide her every decision – and make her exactly the right person to lead the country. As her high school best friend Wanda Kagan, who came to live with Vice President Harris and her family to escape sexual abuse, put it, “I’m just overwhelmed with happiness for my friend and I’m happy to be alive to be able to witness her now fighting for the people of America.”
See what they are saying below:
On MSNBC’s Ana Cabrera Reports, VP’s high school friend Wanda Kagan: “It’s very emotional when I hear it. Every time I hear it, it brings me back to that time that she rescued me from a very physical and sexually abusive situation at home and took me into her home and gave me stability, you know, structured me, structured me into believing, believing that I too could continue my education… To watch her now going to fight for the American people just like she fought for me over 40 years ago and fought for my rights and my rights to do what I wanted with my body, it just — it’s an emotional and chilling ride and I’m just overwhelmed with happiness for my friend and I’m happy to be alive to be able to witness her now fighting for the people of America… I want them to see that she’s exactly the person that she’s always been from over 40 years ago in high school when she did rescue me and it wasn’t just ‘say something,’ it was ‘do something.’ She was going to make sure that something was done and to advocate for me even after I went to live with her and her mom and Maya. And so that’s the type of person that she is. She won’t just say something, she’ll do something. She has those protective instincts, and so she’s going to do something and fight for the people of America.”
VP’s childhood friend Stacey Johnson in the Washington Post: “I just felt this was the plan, this was God’s plan. Like the universe, everything was lining up the way it was supposed to be. And this time was the perfect time… She is bringing all of her experience, all of her network and these phenomenal people who have been with her from the Berkeley village to the DA’s office to the AG’s office to the Senate to the sorority, bringing all of that to bear. You can see what’s happening. It gives me the chills.”
On MSNBC’s Special Coverage, VP’s childhood friend Stacey John-Baptiste: “The values and the characteristics that I’ve always seen in Kamala, so in terms of passion and having purpose and determination, engagement, and wisdom. You know, so all of those qualities. And, probably more so, connectivity. You know, Kamala has always been able to connect with, you know, with everyone. She has always had a magnetic personality and she’s always been very special. So what I think people are going to hear and feel, more importantly, tonight is connected. And, you know, to really know that Kamala has always had a fighting spirit, and she will have your back.”
On MSNBC’s Special Coverage VP’s line sister Kuae Noel Kelch: “Our sister Kamala is doing everything that she is supposed to do. She is lifting the country, lifting the world up. We could not be more thrilled.”
On CNN’s the Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, VP’s Childhood Best-friend, Stacey John-Baptiste: “She’s a terrific cook. She is — she’s a lot of fun, she’s extremely brilliant, and a very caring, compassionate, inclusive person. But, probably most importantly is that she connects with everybody. She’s always been able to really connect with people. She’s always been special, she’s always had a magnetic personality, people have always wanted to be around her and you just feel really good when you’re around her, you know? She’s very positive, she’s very wise, and she’s a steadfast friend.”