Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
On Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris will accept her party’s nomination for president on the final night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Ahead of her expected acceptance speech, her campaign released excerpts from her prepared speech in which she talks about her childhood and her early days as a lawyer. Read those excerpts below:
“America, the path that has brought me here in the last few weeks was undoubtedly unexpected. But unlikely journeys are no stranger to me.
“My mother, Shyamala Harris, had one herself. I miss her every day – especially now. And I know she’s looking down tonight and smiling.
“My mother was 19 when she traveled around the world alone. She traveled from India to California with the unwavering dream of becoming the scientist who would cure breast cancer.
“…It was mostly my mother who raised us. Before she could finally afford a house, she rented a small apartment in the East Bay. In the Bay, you either live in the mountains or the flatlands. We lived in the apartments – a beautiful working-class neighborhood with firefighters, nurses, and construction workers who all took pride in maintaining their lawns.
“When I was in high school, I noticed something about my best friend Wanda. She was sad at school. And sometimes she didn’t want to go home.
“One day I asked her if everything was OK. And she confided in me that she had been sexually abused by her stepfather. And I immediately told her that she had to come to us. And she did.
“That’s one of the reasons I became a prosecutor. To protect people like Wanda.”
“With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to put the bitterness, cynicism and divisive struggles of the past behind us. A chance to forge a new path forward. Not as members of a party or faction, but as Americans.”
“I know there are people watching tonight with different political views. And I want you to know: I promise to be a president for all Americans. …
“I will be a president who unites us around our highest goals. A president who leads – and listens. Who is realistic. Practical. And has common sense. And who always fights for the American people. From the courthouse to the White House, this has been my life’s work.”
“We know what a second Trump term would look like. It’s all laid out in Project 2025. … In many ways, Donald Trump is an untrustworthy man. But the consequences of Donald Trump returning to the White House are extremely serious. … Consider the power he will have – especially after the Supreme Court of the United States just ruled that he would be immune from criminal prosecution.
“We know that a strong middle class has always been critical to America’s success. And building that middle class will be a critical goal of my presidency. This is a personal matter for me. I come from a middle class background.”
“Dear Americans, I love our country with all my heart. Wherever I go – in everyone I meet – I see a nation ready to move forward. Ready for the next step in the incredible journey that is America.
“I see an America where we hold on to the fearless faith that our nation was built on. That has inspired the world. That here, in this country, anything is possible. Nothing is out of reach.”
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