By Las Vegas PRIDE Magazine Staff

In a stirring address at a reception in recognition of Black History Month, Vice President Kamala Harris highlighted the significance of acknowledging and learning from our nation’s history, emphasizing the critical role it plays in shaping our present and future. As she addressed a distinguished audience, including President Joe Biden, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, and members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Harris passionately discussed the importance of preserving and truthfully teaching the rich tapestry of Black history.

Vice President Harris began by expressing her honor to be among incredible leaders and friends while extending her greetings to those in attendance. She emphasized the celebration of Black excellence, leadership, culture, creativity, resilience, and resistance. Harris reminded the audience that Black history is an integral part of America’s history, a living and breathing narrative that is continually shaped by the actions and contributions of individuals across the nation.

During her address, Harris stressed the need to tell the stories of heroes from the nation’s past and present, ensuring that Black history is recognized as America’s history. She passionately advocated for the full and unfiltered teaching of history, cautioning against attempts to censor textbooks and cancel history classes. Harris noted the importance of learning from the past to build a brighter future, rejecting the idea that omitting the unpleasant parts would make the nation stronger.

Vice President Harris addressed the alarming trend of attacks on fundamental freedoms, particularly the freedom to learn and acknowledge the nation’s true history. She pointed out the dangerous efforts by extremists across the nation to erase and rewrite history, citing instances of book bans and misinformation campaigns. Harris expressed her concern about the intentional policies aiming to mislead children and divide the nation through unnecessary debates.

Harris urged the audience to recognize the strength of movements for progress and freedom in the nation’s history, emphasizing that America’s sacred principles have been realized and strengthened through generations of collective effort. She concluded by invoking the metaphor of a relay race, emphasizing that the responsibility of preserving and advancing history has been passed on to the present generation. The challenge, as Harris asserted, is how well we run the race of making history with the baton in our hands.

Vice President Kamala Harris’s Black History Month address serves as a powerful call to action, urging the nation to confront historical truths, celebrate Black history, and resist efforts to distort or erase the past. Harris’s words resonate with a plea for collective responsibility in ensuring that the lessons of history are learned and preserved, guiding the nation toward a future that upholds the principles of progress, freedom, and equality.

This article was originally published in the 2024 Winter Issue of Las Vegas PRIDE Magazine, and can be read in its original format here.