WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 As a young college student, Kamala Harris made the nearly 3-mile trip from Howard University to the 香港六合彩挂牌资料 Mall to protest against apartheid in South Africa.
In 2017, as a senator, she returned to her alma mater to deliver the commencement address.
In July, when she received word that she would be likely be the Democratic presidential nominee, she was in the vice president's residence.
Howard, one of the nation's best known historically Black colleges, has been central to Harris' origin story, and now, as she seeks to become the first woman elected president, the university is having a capstone moment.
The school has produced luminaries like Supreme Court Justice , whose legacy inspired Harris to attend Howard, and author , among others. Some at the university see Harris' elevation as vice president as another validation of one of the school's core missions of service.
鈥淭here鈥檚 clearly a direct relationship between Howard and its relationship to democracy and the democracy that we envision, one that is practiced in a way that includes all of us,鈥 said Melanie Carter, the founding director of the Howard University Center for HBCU Research, Leadership and Policy.
If Harris won the White House, she would be the first woman elected president and the first graduate of a historically Black college to hold that office. With many HBCUs, like a number of liberal arts colleges, struggling financially, her ascent has bathed Howard in a positive light.
鈥淚t empowers students to reach farther than what they thought was possible,鈥 said Nikkya Taliaferro, a senior at Howard University from Honolulu who said the 2024 presidential election will be her first time voting. 鈥淓ven if she doesn鈥檛 win, she鈥檚 already made such a big impact and I know for all of us, that alone, is unforgettable.鈥
To Stefanie Brown James, a Howard alumna and co-founder of The Collective PAC, which is working to increase Black political representation, said that for Howard, the rise of Harris underscores 鈥渁ll the pieces fitting together. At this moment, she is the personification of the leadership, the excellence, the global responsibility to service, that Howard represents.鈥
In her 2017 commencement address, Harris said Howard taught her to reject false choices and steered her to public service. In her memoir, she wrote that Howard taught that there is an expectation that students and graduates would 鈥渦se our talents to take on roles of leadership and have an impact on other people, on our country and maybe even on the world.鈥
In an where she looked back on her time at Howard, she wrote, 鈥淎long the way, Howard taught me that while you will often find that you鈥檙e the only one in the room who looks like you, or who has had the experiences you鈥檝e had, you must remember: you are never alone."
Earlier this year, she wrote in a that the investment in HBCUs is an investment 鈥渋n the strength of our nation for years to come,鈥 when she welcomed Howard鈥檚 men鈥檚 basketball team to the White House as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions. HBCUs have historically struggled to generate investment, despite recent influxes in funding and donations, causing them to flounder financially.
Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., a Howard Law graduate, said Howard鈥檚 鈥渆ach one, teach one camaraderie鈥 shaped how many alums in politics tackle the job. 鈥淚t allowed us to root for each other in ways that I would not have gotten at another institution,鈥 Lee said. 鈥淭hose guidelines of being a social engineer, not being on the sidelines, and creating public policy, that鈥檚 rooted in the experiences of the most marginalized people. That is a Howard trait.鈥
The Howard network is also providing some financial and organizational support to Harris' campaign. The Collective PAC utilized its HU Bison PAC, which held a for graduates with more than 4,000 attendees and raised over $150,000, according to James. The Bison PAC plans another call on Wednesday.
On campus, a group called Herd for Harris is campaigning to support her. Other student-led organizations are mobilizing students to register to vote and be engaged around presidential debates and policies that could most affect them.
鈥淚t was instantaneous and that鈥檚 just Howard,鈥 James said. 鈥淪omething鈥檚 happening, we need to respond to it, so we get to work. It鈥檚 simply a Howard thing.鈥
Even though Harris enjoys broad support on campus, there are students who are challenging Harris over policy, notably the war in Gaza.
鈥淲hat we expect of Kamala Harris in this election is really derived from the morals that Howard instilled in us, that we are an oppressed people, and that we also need to advocate for oppressed people abroad,鈥 said Courtney McClain, a student senator at Howard who met Harris in 2020. She said she plans to support Harris, while holding her accountable.
With the November election drawing near, Harris has been on extensive campaign travel and prepping for her first debate against Republican Donald Trump 鈥 including a mock session at Howard 鈥 on Sept. 10. Still, she made time to speak to crowd of Howard鈥檚 largest incoming first-year class in front of Cramton Auditorium.
Using a bullhorn, she told them that she was proud of them and urged that they enjoy this moment.
"You might be running for the president of the United States,鈥 she said to roaring cheers.
