A Year After Harris’ Defeat, Black Women Remain Undeterred in the Trump Era
It’s been a year since Kamala Harris’ historic yet heartbreaking loss to Donald Trump. The former vice president’s defeat ended what could have been a defining moment in U.S. historythe election of the first woman, first Black, and first South Asian American president. For many Black women who organized, marched, and voted for her, the loss still stings.
“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. Brown described the aftermath as an “economic avalanche” and an “eroding of democracy,” marked by attacks on Black representation.
Political commentator Reecie Colbert, who backed Harris’ 2024 campaign, called Trump’s re-election “devastating.” Still, she said, “We already experienced Trump 1.0. It was devastating to see this country again choose a degenerate in chief over an exceptionally qualified woman.”
Despite the disillusionment, 2025 brought a wave of breakthroughs. Detroit, Albany, Syracuse, and Kansas City elected their first-ever Black female mayors—a sign that representation is still advancing even in a MAGA-dominated political climate.
“Kamala Harris famously said: ‘I may be the first, but I am not going to be the last,’” said Democratic strategist Donna Brazile. “While she didn’t make it to the number one position, her statement signified a powerful commitment to paving the way for future generations.”
Brazile called Harris’ leadership “a rallying cry for continued breakthroughs” and a call for women to be seen in top leadership roles “not just as symbols but as standard practice.”
Under Trump’s presidency, Black women have faced disproportionate economic fallout. A Highland Project poll found 88% of Black women believe the economy is worsening, with more than 300,000 losing jobs due to anti-DEI purges in the federal workforce.
Colbert described the situation as “Trump Crow”—a modern rollback that targets Black women first. “What they don’t realize is being the first casualties… means Black women are now in a position to pivot and invest in themselves before everybody else is out.”
Brown agrees the backlash is intentional. “Some of this rollback is in response to the fact that we have been organizing and we’ve been winning,” she said, warning that Trump’s push to redraw congressional maps is about “consolidating power.”
Though out of office, Harris hasn’t disappeared. On her book tour for 107 Days, the former vice president reflected on her campaign and made clear she isn’t done: “I am not done.”
While some in Democratic circles doubt a 2028 comeback, Colbert isn’t one of them. “You can’t ever discount a person who got the third most votes in U.S. history. She’s still a frontrunner.”
Brown echoed that sentiment: “Why do we think because she lost, she can’t win? The sitting president lost and he won.”
To her, the lesson is bigger than one candidate. “We don’t need a Superman candidate,” Brown said. “Part of the disinformation is to make us doubt ourselves. When you count us out, that’s when we come in strong and hard.”
As the country heads toward the 2026 midterms, the message from Black women is clear—they’re not backing down. From city halls to Congress, their influence continues to reshape the Democratic Party and challenge America’s narrow lens of leadership.
As Brown put it, “When you count us out, that’s when we come in strong and hard.”
