It’s been difficult since Senator Harris announced the suspension of her campaign on Tuesday, December 2nd. For so many of us, she embodied the best that America offers. We’d come to know her through deep dives into her history, examining her record, listening to stories others told about how she changed their lives for the better. For us, Kamala was and is the antidote to everything Trumpian.
She is our nation’s way out of this current nightmare of an Administration. The light against the dark. The one who constantly worked to lift others up. Our “Joyful Warrior.”
And then the news came —
It was a shock, a gut check to heart and mind. We were and to a degree still are — furious, grieving, and gutted. We knew the battle for the nomination was going to be difficult. We knew the obstacles were many and deep. But we also knew this fight, this campaign, was necessary to save and heal this country. We knew that so many needed and deserved hope. And that is what Kamala has always fought for. After all, Justice made real is hope made real. Then suddenly on Tuesday afternoon all that seemed to vanish. Taken away by far too many forces arrayed against the Black woman running for the Presidency.
….It hardly matters why Senator Harris ultimately halted her presidential bid—whether it was for a lack of money, or for issues emerging within her campaign. What matters is the playing field was uneven from the start. There is a saying a lot of Black children in America (and kids from marginalized groups) learn growing up, “You’re going to have to work twice as hard to get half as much of what white people get.” This is exemplified by the stranglehold of white supremacy in America that installed Donald Trump into the Oval Office. Harris dropping out has been an insult to injury because we can still feel the sting of 2016, and the sexism that doomed Hillary Clinton—and will never forget the racism that hung over every second of Barack Obama’s presidency, as it does every second of our real American lives. Harris, with all of her accomplishments—Attorney General of California, the second Black women in the United States to become a senator, the third Black woman (and the only Indian-American woman) to run for president—and her significant work on issues like affordable health care, fixing a broken criminal-justice system, universal childcare, and a living wage—was never going to be president. We know that now. I’m heart-bruised to admit it, but in my gut, I always suspected that the media was never going to let a Black woman win.
Over the nearly 11 months of Harris’s campaign, we bore witness to an endless assault on her achievements, her character, and her campaign from legacy media—defined as “media that is considered “old,” such as radio, television, and especially newspapers.” In other words, a media that is overwhelmingly owned and operated by white cis males.
According to the Columbia Journalism Review, the editors of 135 of the country’s largest English language newspapers are 73 percent male; nine out of 10 are white. Data gathered by Women’s Media Center for their annual report, “The Status of Women in The U.S. Media 2019,” shows that men own 92.6 percent of the national commercial TV stations, 82.6 percent of the nation’s AM/FM radio stations, 69 percent of news wire bylines (AP and Reuters) are snagged by men, and across ABC, CBS and NBC men represent an average of 65 percent of the accredited journalists. The great majority of those men are white.
For those asking, “How much does the media really influence an election anyway?,” the answer is: indelibly, and in six specific ways according to Andra Brichacek, director of communications for the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication. Journalists choose who they’ll cover, “the first way journalists get involved in elections is by choosing which candidates to cover and how much. Those choices alone can have a huge effect on voter perceptions.”…...
We’d seen Legacy Media in action for months. We’d seen how the theft of Kamala’s campaign data by Steyer’s campaign was barely mentioned. We’d seen how other candidates were given accolades for plans they had taken from Kamala. We’d seen one indignity, one lie, one erasure after another. And still she soldiered on, never complaining, always doing the work.
She kept on going up the “rough side of the mountain.” But there was too much to overcome. So the news came down on Tuesday and we were all shattered.
Many of the Dkos Kamala 2020 group turned to one another for comfort, to try to find the words to express the unthinkable.
Everyone was feeling absolutely gutted. There is no other word for it. But together the group has found a way forward, a way to honor the extraordinary woman we will always support.
Like Kamala, we will fight on and continue to work towards real justice for all.
Since she announced the end of her campaign Kamala has been traveling to every campaign headquarters to thank her staff and supporters.
She’s been lifting them all up and letting them know that this fight for justice is not over. We began to see photos of her travels across the country, comforting and inspiring her hard working team. And we began to feel lifted too.
And then there is Doug. The amazing supportive loving Doug.
And we love both of them. We love what they brought to this campaign to save our country. We love their courage to go up the “rough side of the mountain.” Not for their sakes, but for ours.
Kamala will always be nothing less than an extraordinary inspiration, a light in these dark days. A reminder that we can all go up the rough side of the mountain to make things better. And that is what this group has been doing for months. The amount of work the members of this group have poured into Kamala’s campaign has been remarkable. Together, we’ve created an encyclopedic record of her history and ground breaking achievements. Together, we’ve become a family, a group of friends committed to supporting one another and to the fight for the best in America.
So — we’re going to start a new group — the “DKHive.” Like Kamala, we’re going to keep on fighting.
The DKHive will be focused on helping those running for the Senate and the House. It is absolutely essential that we take back the Senate and keep control of the House. Without that, it won’t matter who our nominee is.
We can help re-elect Doug Jones in Alabama, support Sara Gideon and kick the odious Susan Collins to the curb, elect Mark Kelley in AZ, and help Jaime Harrison show Lindsay Graham the door, among others. Together, we can help those in the House like Lucy McBath, Lauren Underwood, Sharice Davids get re-elected — keeping the gavel in the hands of our brilliant Speaker Pelosi.
Kamala doesn’t stop fighting for all of us and neither are we.
After all, it’s not for us that we fight. It’s for the future. It’s to make hope real for the children.
The group is still working out our schedule, which other Senate and House candidates to support, etc. We’re going to follow Kamala’s lead in who we lift up. So stay tuned.
This is not “goodbye.” The fight for justice goes on — for the people.
If you would like to join the DKHive, please let me know in the comments.
I’m going to finish by stating that now is not the time for anyone to come in here pushing their candidate of choice and it is most certainly not a time for Kamala bashing.
‘This post is an honoring of Kamala, Doug, her team, supporters and the amazing people in this group who have worked so hard to make change happen. To all of you, to all our readers, our deepest thanks and gratitude for your support.
The work goes on. Let’s get it done. Let’s take back the Senate, keep the House, and give our Senator Kamala Harris a great team to work with.
See you in the DKHive group and posts.