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California Sen. Kamala Harris spoke about the recent decrease in news coverage of the Black Lives Matter protests when she virtually visited The Late Show on Wednesday.
Host Stephen Colbert said that he noticed the media has seemingly moved away from covering the protests across the country that began following the death of George Floyd.
The senator agreed that there has been a lack of reporting about the protests. “They’re not going to stop,” she said of the protests. “This is a movement.”
“They’re not going to stop before Election Day in November, and they’re not going to stop after Election Day,” Harris continued. “Everyone should take note of that on both levels, that they’re not going to let up and they should not and we should not.”
Harris said that the protests must continue in order to make a difference and shared that she made a “conscious decision” to become a prosecutor because she doesn’t know one Black man that has never been racially profiled.
“The only way we’re going to truly achieve change is when there are people in the system who are willing or pushing to do it, and when there are those folks who are outside of the system demanding it,” she said.
“Some of the success that we’ve been able to achieve around criminal justice reform would not have happened in recent years were it not for Black Lives Matter,” Harris added. “These movements provide a counterforce to get us to where we need to be.”
“The first protest I ever attended was in a stroller when my parents were marching in the ’60s,” she said. “It’s kind of something I’ve done my entire life.”
Noting that her parents were politically active, Harris said that she learned that the greatest movements in the country “have been born out of protests” and “understanding the power of the people to take to the streets and force their government to address what is wrong, the inequities, the inequalities, the unfairness.”
“Almost every one of those marches has been about one fundamental ideal in our country, which is equal justice under law,” she said. “And fighting to make sure that we have a government and a country that, at least every few steps, gets closer to achieving that ideal.” While the United States has not yet reached equality for all, Harris said that protests “are the catalyst to getting there.”
The senator added that attending recent protests in Washington, D.C., gave her hope, saying that she saw “people who seemingly have nothing in common, who know they have everything in common, people of every race, age, gender together and seeing the commonality.”
Harris also spoke about her relationship with presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in another segment.
When asked if she would consider becoming his vice president, Harris, who’s been widely reported to be on Biden’s shortlist for the role, said that she’s “honored to be part of the conversation” and will do “everything in my power” to help Biden win the election.
Despite her recent support, Harris had previously criticized Biden during the Democratic debates.
“It was a debate,” she said of her harsh words to Biden while she was still in the running to become the Democratic nominee. “Literally it was a debate. It was called a debate. Everyone traveled to the debate. There were journalists covering the debate where there would be a debate of differences of opinions and issues.”
“I am 1,000 percent supportive of Joe Biden and I will, again, do everything I can do make sure he is elected,” Harris added.
“I’ve known Joe a long time and I care about him deeply,” she continued. “As you know, we all have family members or friends with whom we have disagreements. That doesn’t overcome or overshadow the commonality between us and the connections between us.”
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