On Monday night, thousands of Black men gathered on a Zoom call to discuss the importance of protecting the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
Roland Martin and the Black Star Network hosted the nonprofit organization “Win With Black Men” call just one day after 44,000 Black women raised over $1.5 million for Harris. More than 21,000 men registered for the virtual event. The call also featured the organization’s executive director Khalil Thompson, political analyst and commentator Bakari Sellers and Kairos Democracy CEO Michael Blake.
Other notable politicians on the call included Sen. Raphael Warnock and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. Warnock called Trump a “plague on the American consciousness” as well as an “existential threat to democracy.”
“This moment will go down in history when the brothers got together to say we are all in for the next president of the United States, Kamala Harris,” Warnock said on the call. “It is time to show up not just for Kamala Harris, but our families and future.”
Martin said that $130,000 had been raised in just 20 minutes, with around $1.2 million being raised overall. The esteemed media personality said the money will go to the Harris campaign and grassroots organizations led by Black men in battleground states.
During the virtual meeting, National Urban League President Marc Morial reminded the men about the importance of exercising their right to vote in order to prevent a second Trump term in the White House.
“We will not unilaterally disarm. We will not disrespect our ancestors and surrender our power by not voting,” Morial said. “The stakes are clear. Trump is shaking in his boots...We must light a flame under our community and build a huge coalition to make this a historic win in November.”