Vice President Kamala Harris visited Columbia alongside Congressmen James E. Clyburn and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday for Columbia's 24th annual King Day at the Dome.
King Day at the Dome began in 2000 as a protest to remove the Confederate flag atop the Statehouse. Although the flag was removed in 2015 after the Charleston Mother Emmanuel shooting which killed nine, the march to the Statehouse continues every year in memoriam of Dr. King's impact on society."
This year’s theme was “Ballots for Freedom, Ballots for Justice, Ballots for Change!” with Harris appearing as the keynote speaker.Harris discussed the importance of voting for freedom, justice and change throughout her speech.
“Freedom is fundamental to the promise of America. Freedom is not to be given; it is not to be bestowed; it is ours by right,” Harris said.
The vice president referenced Republicans in regards to conflicts in America in her speech, including abortion restrictions, gun violence and book banning.
"They insult us in an attempt to gaslight us, in an attempt to divide and distract our nation with unnecessary debates," she said. "Fundamental freedoms are under assault. Freedom from fear, violence and harm, freedom to vote, to live, to learn, to control one's own body and the freedom to simply be."
Harris closed her speech by acknowledging Dr. King and encouraging those present to keep working toward justice.
"Like Dr. King, even through the struggles and the setbacks, even during the pain and the heartbreak, even when our feet grow weary and our legs grow tired, we will march forward for freedom, because I do believe the true power behind the promise of America is in the faith of her people,” Harris said.
Reps. Clyburn and Jeffries spoke before Harris at the 8:30 a.m. interfaith worship service at Zion Baptist Church that preceded the march to the Statehouse.
Jeffries spoke of the need to continue to speak up and show up to fight for racial, economic and social justice despite challenges with "difficult folks in Washington, D.C."
“As long as we continue to show up," Jeffries said, "we will live the life of Dr. King’s dream and turn this situation around.”
Other speakers at the event also called for unity moving forward, including Bishop Samuel Green, who presides over the 7th District of the AME Church which includes Columbia, SC.
“Politics of love is the only hope we have for making this country a more perfect union," Green said. "If we are mired in resentment and bitterness, we will never live up to our true meaning of what it means to be an American."
The vice president's visit came as South Carolina prepares for the nation's first Democratic primary of the 2024 presidential election on Feb. 3, 2024.
Many Democratic Party leaders, including the vice president and president, have been making stops across South Carolina to invigorate Biden's primary voting base in light of low poll numbers. Biden's most recent poll numbers show that only 38.6% of Americans approve of his current performance.
President Biden is expected to speak at the South Carolina Democratic Party's First in the Nation celebration on Jan. 27.
One of the event's attendees was Rev. Jerome Washington, who said he was happy to celebrate Dr. King's dream and to see Vice President Harris at the event.
"It's a good thing," Washington said."She came back to give support to those who support her, and to speak up and let us know about what's going on."