Despite only emerging recently, the ascent of Kamala Harris as the presumptive Democratic nominee for President has been marked by powerful movements, from a “coconut tree” meme that exploded on our social media pages to, high-profile endorsements and perhaps more obscurely, the involvement of pop star Charli XCX.
Now, the Harris campaign is enjoying another movement courtesy of White Women for Harris, which took the form of a wildly popular Zoom meeting held last Thursday. The pro-Harris event, dubbed “White Women: Answer the Call”, was organized by activist Shannon Watts and was attended by a record-breaking 160,000 participants.
The Zoom call — which reportedly crashed multiple times due to the number of attendees — sought to rally support among a key demographic for Harris, as white women make up almost 40 percent of the electorate and have historically backed Donald Trump, in past elections. According to those who attended the virtual rally, however, that sentiment is shifting, especially following the Republican backing of the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
“White Women: Answer the Call” made history as the largest meeting ever held on Zoom, and followed similar rallies held by Black women and men following Harris’ ascension as the likely presidential nominee. In just 90 minutes, the call helped raise $11 million for the Harris campaign, on top of the record-breaking donations she received following Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race.
One person who attended was actress Connie Britton, known for her roles in American Horror Story and The White Lotus. Appearing on screen for a speech during the call, Britton vocalized her support for Harris while acknowledging her privilege as a white woman. She joked that the demographic could be led by a rallying call like “Karens for Kamala,” before declaring that the attendees “have got a f***ing job to do y’all.”
Elsewhere, pop star P!nk also appeared during the meeting to galvanise support. The “So What” singer — who logged on from a private jet following a show in Stockholm — criticized Trump’s previous comments about women, adding that those supporting Harris are “fighting for the right thing.” Another high-profile guest, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, also appeared during the call.
Users flocked to social media to comment on the success of the Zoom meeting, describing it as “seismic” and declaring they “won’t sit idly by.” Others said that “this is what sisterhood looks like,” and that the energizing spirit of the call was “such a beautiful thing to see.”
Following the success of the Zoom meeting, there have been calls to organize similar pro-Harris virtual events for other key demographics, such as South Asian women, LGBTQ allies, and white men. The Zoom event organized by Black Women for Harris drew in some 44,000 people and raised $1.5 million, again showcasing the growing movement around the vice president on the cusp of her presidential campaign.