Senator Kamala Harris has announced she is running for President and is seeking to become the first African American woman to hold the office of US president.
She made the announcement on the national holiday honoring civil rights movement icon Martin Luther King Jr.
“The future of our country depends on you and millions of others lifting our voices to fight for our American values. That’s why I’m running for president of the United States,” the senator from California posted on Twitter.
Harris joins Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibran Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and former housing secretary Julian Castro, among others vying for the 2020 Democratic nomination.
“Justice. Decency. Equality. Freedom. Democracy. These aren’t just words. They’re the values we as Americans cherish. And they’re all on the line now,” Harris said in the video.
She also told ABC’s “Good Morning America: “I’m honored to be able to make my announcement on the day that we commemorate him,”
“My parents were very active in the civil rights movement and that’s the language that I grew up hearing. And it was about a belief that we are a country that was founded on noble ideals and we are the best of who we are when we fight to achieve those ideals,” she said.
Harris has been going on a book tour for her new book — “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey,” and she has been using the theme of the book to drive her campaign.
“There are so many powerful voices who are trying to sow hate and division among us. We have got to reject that. It is not reflective of who we are as Americans, and it is not in our best interest,” she said.
“Our unity has always been our strength, and our strength is our unity.”
Harris also took aim at Trump over the partial government shutdown sparked by a feud with Democrats over funding for his border wall project calling it “completely irresponsible.”