History was made on Saturday after news outlets projected the presidential election to fall in the favor of former Vice President Joe Biden. Biden will become the 46th president of the United States. He and his running mate Senator Kamala Harris are a historic duo for a number of reasons.
They received the most amount of votes ever in a presidential election and Biden is the only the second non-incumbent to take the top job after serving as vice president. He'll also be the oldest president to serve as Blavity previously reported.
Harris will mark a number of firsts for the White House as well, becoming the first woman, first Black person and first person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president.
As a Howard University grad, she is also the first HBCU alumnus to be elected vice president.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is making history on so many fronts: the first woman, the first black woman, the first Asian American, the first HBCU graduate, the first AKA and first member of the Divine Nine to be the VP-elect.
She's made history again and again and again.
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) November 7, 2020
A photo lauding HBCUs captured three powerful Black women in politics, including Harris, who all have degrees from historically Black institutions.
"A Black woman from Spelman helped get out the vote in a city ran by a Black woman from FAMU to push a ticket with a Black woman from Howard over the top. Thank you Black women and thank you HBCUs," the image text read.
Stacey Abrams, an alumnus of Spelman College, has been getting a lot of love for her tireless work in turning longtime red state Georgia into a battleground state for Democrats.
After losing in a controversial race for governor of the state in 2018, Abrams hunkered down and worked with dozens of activists, lawyers and experts to launch an unprecedented effort to simplify voting in the state as well as turnout millions of Black voters.
The votes were pivotal in forcing a recount and two runoffs that may end up leading to Democrats taking control of the Senate in January.
After losing the race for governor in 2018 — amid poll closures and voter purges – Stacey Abrams redoubled her efforts to protect voting rights — resulting in some 800,000 new GA voters.@staceyabrams is the ????.
Well done, Georgia.???? pic.twitter.com/rptOiWrGng
— Rex Chapman???????? (@RexChapman) November 6, 2020
Amazingly, Abrams has not stopped her efforts now that Biden has won. As people took to the streets to celebrate Biden's win, dozens of volunteers asked those attending rallies to sign up to vote in the January special election.
Sign of the strength of the machine @staceyabrams has built in Georgia. Celebratory crowds gather in Atlanta- CNN reports there are organisers turn up with clipboards making sure they’re all registered to vote for the Senate run off races in January.
— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) November 7, 2020
Keisha Lance Bottoms, mayor of Atlanta, who also helped to shift the state toward blue, graduated from Florida A&M University.
Needless to say, HBCU grads were elated that Harris will soon be entering the White House.
AND THEY TOLD US THAT HBCU DEGREE WOULDN’T WORK IN THE “REAL WORLD” LOL pic.twitter.com/cEpx0OheIt
— Dj Tacos With The Soup (@DjChubbESwagg) November 7, 2020
“What’s a HBCU?” Bet y’all know now pic.twitter.com/K4QOt0G7vg
— keely…???? (@_kcole) November 7, 2020
Where can an HBCU education take you? Straight to the White House
— vvviu (@vvviu) November 7, 2020
the VP elect of the United States of America is an HBCU-educated Black woman. we are powerful. we are resilient. we are magic. we can do anything.
— her. (@anniemaymoo) November 7, 2020
Other HBCU alums were happy that so many were involved in the effort to oust Trump.
"As a fellow HBCU grad, I could not be more proud," a Philadelphia resident tells @rehemaellis, on VP-elect Harris. "It was Black people who made America live up to its ideals of a democracy and it's Black people in Philly who came and saved this one…I am completely ecstatic." pic.twitter.com/crUu96INLZ
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) November 7, 2020
"As a fellow HBCU grad, I could not be more proud. It was Black people who made America live up to its ideals of a democracy and it's Black people in Philly who came and saved this one…I am completely ecstatic," one Philadelphia voter told MSNBC.
My Mommy is a proud Fisk alumna, so in my house: we knew the type of woman an HBCU could create. We see you. We value you. We back you! ???? #Election2020
pic.twitter.com/tC6BtsS175— Erica Simon (@EricaOnABC13) November 7, 2020
This is a good time to make a donation to an HBCU. Invest in the next Kamala Harris and Stacey Abrams.
— Stephen A. Green (@GreenTheRev) November 6, 2020
HBCU’s can’t do what? pic.twitter.com/WTKLiP1V36
— candacebabes (@candacebabes) November 6, 2020
Even Howard University released a statement about Harris' historic win.
Congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, an ‘86 graduate of The Howard University.
HHHHHH—UUUUUUUUUUU !!!????❤️ pic.twitter.com/FrfpvXZiVF
— Howard University (@HowardU) November 7, 2020
"Congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, an ‘86 graduate of The Howard University. HHHHHH—UUUUUUUUUUU !!!" the school wrote on Twitter.
