We are all in for Kamala! When we fight, we win!
By Nancy Latham
As soon as President Biden stepped down from the presidential race and endorsed VP Kamala Harris, the Indivisible movement was ready. In the previous weeks, Indivisible National had consulted with group leaders across the country, polling them to learn whether they would coalesce behind VP Harris if the president were to pass the torch. The answer was a resounding yes.
So in the two weeks since Biden exited the race (has it really been only two weeks??), Indivisible East Bay joined with other Indivisible groups across the country to hold our own All in for Kamala event: a press conference at Oakland’s beautiful Preservation Park. The event overflowed with hope and enthusiasm. And in a joyful echo of Madam VP’s own rally appearances, as the speakers called out “WHEN WE FIGHT?” the audience called back “WE WIN!”
To view the video of the full (50 minute) event, including the opening remarks and the Q&A at the end, click here.
Kamala Harris is a champion for the environment
Our first speaker, Ogie Strogatz (leader with Indivisible ReSisters Walnut Creek and a climate warrior) told those assembled about VP Harris securing the endorsement of the Green New Deal network and of hundreds of climate leaders (including Bill McKibben and Jay Inslee). Endorsers pointed to ways that Harris has championed climate action, from supporting an end to new offshore oil and gas drilling, to calling for the achievement of net zero emissions by 2045, to ensuring that tribal communities gain access to low cost clean energy. And when she was San Francisco’s district attorney, she created the first environmental justice unit in the country to prosecute environmental crimes.
Watch Ogie Strogatz’s remarks here.
It’s time to sign up to make calls and knock doors!
Our second speaker, Precious Green (Director of Community at Manny’s in SF) reminded us of VP Harris’s beautiful vision of real freedom, a vision that includes all of us. She contrasted that to the darker vision we are not going back to: “a past driven by fear and xenophobia, … bluster and cruelty.” She exhorted us to roll up our sleeves and get to work on behalf of our families and friends, on behalf of everyone struggling with the costs of healthcare, childcare, and housing. She said: “There is a lot of work to do. If you haven’t signed up for your shifts or knocking on doors, what are you waiting for?” [We here at IEB could not agree more! Find shifts on our event calendar!]
Watch Precious Green’s remarks here.
We are patriots who understand the assignment!
Our third speaker, Berkeley Councilmember Igor Tregub, reminded everyone there that once again democracy is at stake. He told us that, while he was not going to “sugarcoat” the very real dangers of Project 2025, he knows we’re up to the job of defending democracy once more: “I feel confident that together with all of the incredible heroes and sheroes that are assembled here and all across the nation, we will do that. We understand the assignment this November. We are going to make history. We are going to elect President Harris!”
Watch Berkeley Councilmember Igor Tregub’s remarks here.
As District Attorney, VP Harris knew that true community safety means rejecting the false choice between “soft on crime” and “tough on crime”
Our fourth speaker, Katherine Weinstein Miller (Chief Probation Officer for San Francisco’s Juvenile Probation Department) was hired by then-DA Harris in 2007, and worked closely with VP Harris until she became Attorney General in 2011. Katy shared that she learned from VP Harris how to be a proud member of law enforcement, a justice system reformer, and a career public servant. She spoke of Harris’s pioneering strategies to support young adults to get Back on Track after justice system involvement. She said that what drove Harris’s vision was the knowledge that “hurt people hurt people, and healed people heal people.” Harris’s justice system reforms came together as “a constellation around Vice President Harris’s North star of safety for all of us.”
Watch Chief Katy Miller’s remarks here.
We must not only win the White House, but deliver the House and the Senate
Our final speaker, California Senator Nancy Skinner, warned of the danger that is in store should the 45th president be returned to the White House: “Trump and his extreme extremist allies are on a quest that is driven by revenge. It is driven by hate, it is driven by intolerance.” And yet Senator Skinner is optimistic, because voters are realizing that MAGA poses a fundamental threat to our freedom – and because all of us will make sure they know it! She reminded us that a President Harris in the Oval Office needs a governing majority – so we must all work hard to keep the Senate and flip the House.
Watch Senator Nancy Skinner’s remarks here.
IEB’s Press Conference makes news!
KPIX television (a CBS affiliate) covered the event. Check out the news segment and the article on their website: Supporters rally for Kamala Harris in her Oakland hometown. KTVU also covered the event – check out their segment here!
[Update; August 15: The East Bay Express posted an article covering the event.]
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Praise and snaps!
Preservation Park allowed us to use their idyllic space pro bono. Thank you Preservation Park!
Two fabulous photographers from Pro Bono Photo covered the event; see their beautiful photo gallery here!
Shout-outs to our incredible volunteers:
- Emcee for the event, IEB Governance Committee Member Larry B.
- Lead event organizer, IEB volunteer Michele M.
- Social Media Manager, Lindsay A., who streamed the event on Facebook live
- Press Liaison for the event, IEB leader Joan C.
