The left-wing group Black Lives Matter opposes Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee and has called on the Democratic National Convention to “create a process that allows for public participation in the nomination process, not just nominations by party delegates.”
The group, which gained attention in 2020 for organizing nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd, said in a statement Tuesday that “a process of talking to party leaders around the clock is not democratic, nor is it a process the Democratic Party should be proud of.”
In the weeks following his disastrous debate performance last month, there was growing pressure within his party for President Joe Biden to drop out of the race, but he resisted the pressure, insisting he was “running to win.”
But abruptly over the weekend, Biden dropped out of the race and named Harris his top pick, and overnight Democrats rallied around her, winning enough delegate support to secure the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in August.
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A protester holds a sign during a demonstration against the acquittal of Neighborhood Watch volunteer George Zimmerman in the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin, in Beverly Hills, California, on July 17, 2013. (AP Photo/Jay C. Hong)
But BLM, a group that is primarily aligned with Democrats, has condemned the act.
“We do not live in a dictatorship. Our representatives are not oligarchy. Appointing Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee and an unknown vice president without a public voting process would make the modern Democratic Party the party of hypocrites,” the group said in a statement.
“Black Lives Matter is [DNC] “We will immediately hold informal virtual primaries across the country prior to the Democratic National Convention in August.”
“We call on the Rules Committee to create a process that allows for public participation in the nomination process and not just nominations made by party representatives. The current political climate is unprecedented, and President Biden will leave office in a way we have never seen before. Now is the time to take decisive action to protect the integrity of our democracy and the voice of Black voters,” the statement said.
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A “Black Lives Matter” t-shirt worn during the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” protest in front of the San Francisco Courthouse on December 18, 2014 in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“Democratic elites and billionaire donors are attempting to manipulate Black voters by nominating Kamala Harris and an unknown vice president as the new Democratic nominee without a national primary vote,” the group argued.
“Such blatant disregard for democratic principles is unacceptable. The potential outcome of a Harris presidency may be historic, but the process for achieving it must be consistent with true democratic values,” the statement continued.
“Now that Kamala Harris has replaced Joe Biden, we have no idea where she stands on issues. And we don’t yet know who her running mate will be, so we have no idea their background.”
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Shalomiah Bowers speaks onstage at the NBJC Equity March in Washington, DC on June 15, 2024. (Brian Stokes/Getty Images)
“We are not just talking about the racism that has been going on in our country,” said BLM leader Shalomire Bowers. “This is not an attack on Kamala Harris or black women, and I am not questioning her qualifications or ability at this time. This is about the nomination process.”
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“Those of us who value democratic principles cannot seriously commit to installing Kamala Harris and an unknown vice president as the Democratic nominee without some kind of people-powered process,” Bowers said.
“It’s about actually asking communities across the country, not just delegates or party elites, whether they think this should be the Democratic nominee. Anything less than that shows a lack of seriousness in the pursuit of democracy.”
Attempts to reach Harris’ campaign for comment were unsuccessful at press time.
