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Kamala supporters at Howard University watch party seen crying and leaving early: See pics
Supporters attending the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz campaign's election party at Howard University initially rejoiced, before anxiety and tears took over.
Supporters attending the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz campaign's election party at Howard University initially rejoiced, before things started making the environment go dark and anxious. Thousands of revellers had gathered at the Yard, which is an open space on the Washington, D.C., campus to cheer the first Black woman being elected as president.
Harris being elected would mark another milestone. A Howard alumna, she would become the first president to graduate from a historically Black college or university.
When excitement turned into anxiety
However, partygoers’ excitement began to subside as the news showed Donald Trump winning in several key states, and leading in others. The people who had initially gathered in the area, dancing in joy, started to feel the enthusiasm fade, according to Los Angeles Times.
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"I am here to celebrate the moment — hopefully to witness history, as the first female is elected president," said 54-year-old Rob Jenkins, who graduated from Howard in 1992. He added that his freshman year coincided with the veep’s last one. "If successful ... the fact that she is from Howard University, [that's] another tremendous accomplishment,” he said.
A large screen showing CNN’s election coverage started triggering anxiety among the revellers. Festivities started to get dimmer when the network's John King said that Harris in fact trailed Joe Biden's performance in the 2020 election in key areas.
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The event had started around 7 pm, but the mood had significantly darkened by 11 pm. People had stopped dancing, silently watching as the telecast indicated that Harris’ chances of winning were narrow.
Several attendees were spotted leaving the event early, and some were seen crying. Sara Thakur, a 24-year-old Democrat who traveled from Connecticut to attend the event with friends, said it “started out high and only went down hill since then, honestly,” according to Politico.
South Carolina native Nicole Harrison, 42, said that despite the disappointment, she remained “cautiously optimistic." She recalled the kind of fear some felt while walking the streets of Washington, D.C, when Trump was president.
“That’s the scary part about it — safety,” said Harrison, who graduated from the University of South Carolina.
The event was basically a showcase for Howard and other schools catering to mostly African American students. Many of the attendees were seen wearing their sorority or fraternity colours.
“It means so much more than you can imagine,” said Marissa Jennings, 43, who attended Bennett College, which is a historically Black institution in North Carolina. She noted that Harris has "the opportunity to become the first woman and first African American woman president, it was something I couldn’t have dreamed of.”
Harris will not speak as election night went into Wednesday morning, Harris Campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond, who took the stage at the watch party, said, according to ABC News. The vice president is expected to address the nation later.
