‘Do not despair’: New California Senator Kamala Harris urges Democrats to ‘fight for who we are’

Amid the bleakness that greeted many Democrats on Wednesday morning, there were some points of brightness.

California elected Democrat Kamala Harris to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday. In her acceptance speech, she urged those dispirited by the Trump victory to take heart and to stand together and fight.

“Our ideals are at stake right now, and we all have to fight for who we are,” she told the crowd gathered in Los Angeles. “I believe this is that moment in time for our country, where we are collectively being required to look in the mirror, and with furrowed brow, we are asking a question: Who are we? In California, I believe the answer is a good one: We are a great country.”

“It is the very nature of this fight for civil rights and justice and equality that whatever gains we make, they will not be permanent. So we must be vigilant,” she continued. “Do not despair. Do not be overwhelmed. Do not throw up our hands when it is time to roll up our sleeves and fight for who we are.”

The former California attorney general ran to replace Sen. Barbara Boxer, who is retiring at the end of this Senate session. Harris is the second black woman to serve in the Senate, the first black woman to represent California.

Watch the video, embedded below: