On November 7, four days after Election Day, Joe Biden was declared 26th President-elect of the United States of America, with Kamala Harris as his history-making Vice-President-to-be, “the first woman, first Black woman, first daughter of immigrants” to assume the post, Biden said in his Victory Speech on the outdoor stage at the Chase Convention Center, in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.
Speaking first, Harris talked about her late mother, an immigrant from India, about the women’s suffrage movement of a century ago, about working people, and about racism. She concluded, “We have elected a President who represents the best in us … a President for all Americans,” and introduced Biden.
Biden said that he had seen, on that day, from citizens across the country, “an outpouring of joy and faith for a better tomorrow.” He acknowledged the winning coalition that his team had built, consisting of “gay, transgender, straight, … white, and the African-American community” and continued, “This is the time for healing America” and to control the Covid-19 pandemic with a plan “built on bedrock science.” Borrowing President Barack Obama’s Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta-derived slogan “Yes We Can,” Biden defined America, in one word, as “possibilities,” and added, “an America that never gives up, never gives in.” He quoted from the uplifting hymn “On Eagle’s Wings,” and the celebration concluded with a fireworks display, accompanied by Tina Turner’s recording of “Simply the Best.”
Earlier in the day, congratulatory emails for Biden and Harris came from a number of community organizations:
Kevin Jennings, CEO of Lambda Legal, wrote, “We celebrate the election of Vice President Biden and Senator Harris, both of whom have been key supporters of civil rights for LGBTQ people and everybody living with HIV … We look forward to working with the Biden-Harris administration to roll-back some of the most egregious efforts of the previous administration to deny and dilute the hard-won rights we have secured since our founding almost 50 years ago.”
Andy Marra, Executive Director of the Transgender Legal Defense & Education fund, wrote, “We look forward to working with the incoming Biden-Harris Administration to repair the harm inflicted upon transgender people and so many others. But we face a long road ahead towards achieving the equity and justice that transgender people and our families nationwide have been denied. Our opponents will attempt to block and erode our progress–from the halls of power in our nation’s capital to state legislatures across the country. But we remain at the ready to defend against attacks on transgender people and look forward to working with the new administration to advance a better future for our community. Today, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we get back to work.”
A statement issued by the New York State office of the National Organization for Women began, “We did it!! What an amazing moment. Joe Biden will be the next President of the United States, winning the most votes for a ticket in our nation’s history and leading in the popular vote by more than four million votes. We have made history, by electing the first Black woman Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris. Together, through education, outreach, phone calls, and hard work, we have Grabbed Trump by the Ballot and won a monumental victory to restore democracy and the values of equality and justice for all people.”