Black women have something to say a year after Kamala Harris’ loss

TheGrio takes a closer look into the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election and why Black women remain optimistic in the MAGA era of President Trump.

It’s officially been one year since Kamala Harris lost her bid to become America’s first female and first Black and South Asian woman president. The former vice president’s stunning loss to Donald Trump left many Democratic voters devastated, most especially Black women who campaigned and organized in droves to put her in the White House.

“I was so sad…I wanted Vice President Kamala Harris to win, but I also knew what was at stake,” said LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter.

As a result of the 2024 presidential election, Brown told theGrio that Black communities, and most of America, have had to feel the pain of an “economic avalanche” and the “eroding of democracy,” including the “attack on Black representation.”

Reecie Colbert, a political analyst who was a prominent voice on behalf of Harris’ candidacy in 2024, said the re-election of Trump was “devastating.”

“I did have a sense of optimism because we already experienced Trump 1.0.,” she recalled. “It was devastating to see this country again choose a degenerate in chief over an exceptionally qualified woman.”

However, a year later, many Black women are feeling a sense of hope after major and historic wins for Black female candidates in the 2025 general elections on Tuesday night.

Detroit, Albany, Syracuse and Kansas City elected their first-ever Black female mayors, showing that post-2024 election, Black women remain electable candidates for the Democratic Party.

“Kamala Harris famously said: ‘I may be the first, but I am not going to be the last.’ While she didn’t make it to the number one position, her statement signified a powerful commitment to paving the way for future generations of women and marginalized groups in leadership positions,” Donna Brazile, a longtime Democratic strategist, told theGrio.

“In the context of the current election cycle, it underscores the ongoing progress toward greater representation and the importance of building a political environment where diversity is normalized rather than exceptional.”

Brazile, a former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, said despite Harris’ 2024 defeat, her leading by example has become a “rallying cry for continued breakthroughs.”

“The strides made today should lead to a future where women are consistently seen in top leadership roles, not just as symbols but as standard practice,” she added. “This statement remains a call for ongoing persistence in both campaign efforts and cultural change to achieve a more equitable representation at all levels of government.”

There’s a sense of urgency for Black women as Black communities across the country feel the economic pains of President Trump’s economy and the other impacts of his MAGA agenda.

A study from The Highland Project that polled Black women voters found that their dissatisfaction with the direction of the country is at historic highs. Eighty-eight percent of Black women believe the economy is getting worse, while half of them said they have been impacted by job cuts.

More than 300,000 Black women have lost jobs during the Trump era as a result of his administration’s anti-DEI agenda, which has included a purging of the federal workforce.

Other concerns for Black women are the erasure of Black history (83%), the impact of Trump’s tariffs on the costs of goods (81%), the cost of higher education (77%), deportations without due process (77%), and the erosion of voting rights (75%).  

“The bullseye is always on the Black woman,” said Colbert. However, she explained, “What they don’t realize is being the first casualties of what I call Trump Crow–which is going to spare nobody, regardless of race, gender or creed–is that Black women are now in a position to pivot, and now in a position to invest in themselves and figure out their next steps before everybody else is out.”

The fact that Black women are bearing the brunt of Trump’s policies is by design, says LaTosha Brown of Black Voters Matter.

“Some of this rollback is in response to the fact that we have been organizing and we’ve been winning,” Brown told theGrio.

Brown said the proven power of Black women and Black communities can be seen in how diverse the U.S. Congress has become over the years. She argues that is why President Trump is trying to “consolidate power” with all three branches of government, including the demand that Republicans redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

While Harris may not be in the White House, she has remained in the public eye as a vocal critic of her former 2024 presidential opponent. While promoting her rather candid memoir “107 Days,” detailing her historic campaign and vice presidency, Harris said “I am not done” when asked if she still had aspirations for the highest office in the land.

The former vice president made clear she has not yet decided on another presidential campaign in 2028. However, there are some naysayers in Democratic circles who believe Harris’ chances of a comeback are slim to none.

“You can’t ever discount a person who got the third most votes in U.S. [presidential] history. All the polls still indicate she’s a frontrunner, and so I think it would be naive and even foolish to say that she has no chance,” said Colbert. “Obviously keeping her options open keeps her part of the conversation a lot more too. So there’s no downside for her to keep her options open at this point.”

Brown dismissed the argument that Harris’s 2024 loss means she can’t do it again in the future, telling theGrio, “Why do we think because she lost, she can’t win? The sitting president lost and he won.”

“I think she has as good of a chance as anybody else, to run for that office,” she added.

The voting rights advocate explained, “We don’t need a Superman candidate… part of the disinformation is to make us doubt ourselves and our power. When you count us out, that’s when we come in strong and hard.”

While America has yet to elect a Black woman or woman as president, Brown believes it is inevitable given the shifting demographics and attitudes of the country.

“The politics will eventually change to meet that moment,” she said.