FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 9, 2020
CONTACT: Christiaan Perez, press@opportuni​tyagenda.org, 212-334-4275

New York, NY – With more than 140 million votes counted, Joe Biden will serve as the next President of the United States, and Kamala Harris, the first-ever Black, Indian-American woman to serve as Vice President, will assume this historic role. In response to a record-setting mobilization of civic participation, Ellen Buchman, President of The Opportunity Agenda, issued the following statement:

The undeniable resilience, persistence, and strength of people who overcame every obstacle imaginable to make their voices heard outweighed the unprecedented challenges of the 2020 elections.

People of all backgrounds came together to vote for change and to finally say with resounding authority, ‘Enough.’ And, make no mistake about it – as the returns are analyzed and the snapshot of the electorate further understood, it is clear that particular constituencies – African Americans in particular, in state after state, ensured that their voices were heard and that the importance of the vote was matched only by their energy to participate in exceptional numbers.

It marks an extraordinary example of how organized people who have raised their voices can lead us all to reimagine a future where we can all live in safety and with dignity, no matter our zip code or our community.

Examples set by the truth-tellers of the movement for Black lives and the organizers to Abolish ICE, the young leaders demanding politicians stop killing our planet or saturating our streets with guns, the women who march for equality and the people everywhere who know how much better our healthcare and economy must be, have led us here. These are the leaders who refuse to normalize Donald Trump and his administration, and these are the leaders who are already reimagining a more inclusive and respectful future for everyone.

Today, we can take a deep breath and celebrate as we prepare to embark on the next step in our march toward systemic justice. 2020 has again and again laid bare the deep structural challenges in our democracy, and in the face of such hurdles, we must focus on our aspirations, and our strengths. The results show that our voices are unstoppable, that our communities thrive when we are unified, that we must require safety for everyone, and that all people deserve to be treated with dignity. Today we celebrate. Tomorrow, we continue the fight to make sure those values are truly and boldly reflected in the story and the society we live in, for everyone.