The paradigm shift in U.S. politics was significantly prompted by the Virtual political activism that was led by Black women after Biden’s departure from the 2020 presidential race. The embodiment of such a change was the Zoom meeting that mobilized 44,000 individuals with the aim of rallying support for Kamala Harris. This evident display of power and influence only goes to prove the integral role Black women play in current politics.
Following Biden’s exit from the race, Black women were swift to react and took lead in mustering support for the remaining candidate of African American descent, Kamala Harris. The Georgetown Law professor and political analyst, Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw is best known for her development of the intersectional theory, highlighted the importance of this event. Crenshaw described it as a turning point where Black women seized the opportunity to unite and bolster a political candidate of their own — imparting a new shape to the future of political campaigning in the process.
The mobilization on Zoom was spearheaded by LaTosha Brown and Kimberly Peeler-Allen, who are co-founders of the non-profit organization “Black Voters Matter.” They noticed an urgent need for an organized and systematic approach to galvanize Black communities nationwide, leading to the visionary idea of a massive Zoom meeting. This meeting not only shed light on Harris’s policy plans and platforms, but it also emphasized the indispensable strength of Black women in America’s political landscape.
Harris’s political campaign proved unprecedented in many aspects. The digital stage was utilized to cultivate community among Black women across the United States. Daily Zoom meetings were held with attendance reaching upwards of 40,000 individuals. The interactions and conversations held in these virtual gatherings were not only instrumental in rallying support but also paved the way towards establishing a dynamic and interactive framework for future campaigns.
The strategy behind these meetings was to incite not just political conversation, but also encourage voting and community-building around shared experiences and challenges. Brown and Peeler-Allen focused on the grassroots organizing of Black women who did not just share the same concerns, but were from various socio-political backgrounds. The participants of these Zoom meetings were given a space to voice their concerns, share their ideas, and receive political education. It was also a platform for them to lean on each other, fostering a deeper sense of solidarity.
From organizing voter registration drives to hosting voter education seminars, the widespread mobilization was nothing less than a political masterstroke. The undeterred work and unwavering commitment
