The vice president surprised attendees at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast, which was hosted by the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network in Washington, D.C.
Vice President Kamala Harris lifted up historically Black communities in Altadena and called out insurance companies and misinformation on Wednesday amid the devastating wildfires in her home state of California.
The vice president made a surprise visit to the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast in honor of the civil rights icon, hosted by the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network. Harris, who was welcomed with applause and a standing ovation, gave brief remarks at the breakfast held at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., where theGrio was on the ground.
Before talking about the legacy of Dr. King and urging the room of Black leaders to remain committed to his mission of justice for all, Harris addressed the fires in Los Angeles, which resulted in at least 25 deaths, more than 12,000 homes and businesses burned, and thousands of residents displaced.
Harris said she noticed “patterns” as it relates to natural disasters like the fires in California and hurricanes, such as Helene, which decimated parts of the South.
“It’s about what the insurance companies are not doing to extend coverage. They are canceling coverage,” said the vice president, who noted that young, first-time homeowners were especially impacted. Harris urged for there to be more concern about how “increasing” natural disasters impact families and “whole communities,” adding, “Climate change is real.”
Vice President Harris also lamented about the wildfires destroying homes in historically Black neighborhoods in Altadena and noted that communities of color are “most devastated” by climate events.
“You’re talking about generations of families that live there. Some of the first hard-working Black families who were able to buy property in California and then pass down those homes through generations,” said Harris. “Many of those families who live in those homes and live intergenerationally within a block of each other.” Harris said those communities “lost everything.”
The vice president also warned about the dangers of disinformation and misinformation surrounding the California fires. A similar concern emerged when then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and other Republicans repeated false claims such as FEMA used hurricane relief funds on migrants. VP Harris expressed concern that such misinformation could cause victims, who are in a place of “despair … helplessness and hopelessness,” to believe it, and then “they feel disappointed, and they turn the whole system off.”
The vice president also urged the room of Black leaders, which included members of Congress, the Biden-Harris administration, and civil rights advocates, to stay in the “fight” for justice — just as Dr. King would want them to.
“Ours is a journey, and the fight that we are in, which is the fight to uplift the people, the fight for freedom, the fight for civil rights, the fight for dignity, the fight for human rights, must be fought among these generations,” said Harris.
Seemingly acknowledging the lingering disappointment of her 2024 presidential election loss to Donald Trump, Harris urged the room to believe that a “win” for Black communities is about more than one election.
“Our definition of a win is the definition that takes us over a period of time, where part of how we measure the win is, are we making progress? How we measure the win is based on the knowledge that it is an enduring fight,” said Harris. She continued, “We must be strong, and … whatever the outcome of any particular moment, we can never be defeated.”
“Our spirit can never be defeated because when that happens, we won’t win,” added the outgoing vice president. “And as far as I know and I’m concerned, when I look at the group of leaders here, this is a group of winners.”
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