Vice President Harris is the first presidential nominee from a major political party to have graduated from one of the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). On Wednesday night, the Democratic presidential candidate released a letter directly to HBCU students exclusively through Watch The Yard, a platform known as “the center for Black college life.”
During the campaign trail, the Harris-Walz campaign has focused on HBCUs to connect with young voters. This has been done through digital advertisements, youth organizing teams, and a campus tour across 11 key battleground states, including Georgia.
As a Howard University alumna, Harris highlights the impactful experience of attending an HBCU and underscores the significance of political involvement.
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“At an HBCU, you’re empowered to be anything and do everything without excuse,” Harris wrote. “You come as you are and leave as the person you aspire to be.”
In the letter, she emphasizes the importance of participating in the upcoming election. “It is because of the record turnout among college students in 2020 that I am Vice President today, and to win this election, I need your support.”
Young voters are set to be the largest voting bloc in the 2024 presidential election, making their influence more significant than ever before. According to data from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), 41 million voters aged 18 to 29 will make up a substantial portion of the electorate. This demographic shift underscores the growing importance of youth engagement and participation in shaping political outcomes. With issues like climate change, racial justice, and student debt at the forefront, young voters have the potential to significantly impact the direction of national policies by leveraging their numbers at the polls.
Harris continued on, “Your vote has never mattered more.”
“HBCUs have a long line of Black excellence and groundbreaking work, and so it really actually stands to reason that the first Black woman presidential nominee for a major party is a graduate of an HBCU,” Adrienne Jones, a political science professor at Morehouse College, told The Hill. “The environments are very good for Black people, because they nurture folks in a country where that is not necessarily the norm.”
Read the full letter here.
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