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USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION
The Inauguration of the 46th President
Harris’ impact: ‘A sense of relief, a sense of hope’ Supporters across the country describe what it means to them From staff reports
On Nov. 7, 2020, four days after Election Day, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris fi nally locked down the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House, after Pennsylvania turned blue. Harris will become the fi rst female vice president, and the fi rst African American, and the fi rst of South Asian descent. Voters across the nation shared their thoughts on the historic moment and what it means to them.
In Rhode Island: ‘Tearing up’ “It was such a relief for a lot of persons of color and immigrants and people with diff erent religions when it became offi cial,” Newport City Council member Angela McCalla said. “I was probably one of many that can’t say it without tearing up.” Harris’ achievement struck a chord with McCalla, a Black woman with Asian heritage. Although she was not the fi rst Black woman to serve on Newport’s council — that honor goes to Alice Richards, she said — McCalla was the city’s fi rst Asian American and LGBTQ councilwoman. “For our community in Newport, there’s an ever-growing biracial and multiracial community that fi nally has a person we can look up to, because we don’t have enough of those leaders,” McCalla said. — Savana Dunning, Newport Daily News
Egypt Otis, owner of the Comma Bookstore & Social Hub in Flint, Michigan, and her 9-year-old daughter Eva Allen pose for a picture with Kamala Harris in September. Taking the photo is Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow. Otis said her daughter is now “part of history.” KATREASE STAFFORD/AP
In Texas: ‘A sense of hope’ Tamieka Henry found out history had been made in a text from her mom. That’s how she learned that the United States had elected Kamala Harris, a daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, as vice president. “It was a sense of relief, a sense of hope,” said Henry, 26, the president of El Paso Young Black Leaders. “I just felt proud.” — Eleanor Dearman, El Paso Times
In Texas: ‘Hearing the joy in her voice’ U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, had been watching TV much of that Saturday morning hoping an announcement would come. She was out-
For Angela McCalla, a City Council member in Newport, Rhode Island, the election result was “such a relief.” PETER SILVIA FOR NEWPORT DAILY NEWS
Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar was outside doing yard work when her phone started blowing up with the news. BRIANA SANCHEZ/EL PASO TIMES
