Kamala Harris gives AKA convention speech days after sorors got hundreds of gays evicted from Dallas hotel

On Wednesday morning, Vice PresidentKamala Harris delivered a powerful and resolute speech inTexas at the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s 75th Boulé.

Amid high-profile calls from congressionalDemocrats and influential celebrities like George Clooney—who recently hosted a multi-million dollar fundraiser with PresidentJoe Biden—for Biden to step aside due to concerns about his age and cognitive abilities, Harris addressed her sorority sisters. Recent polls show Biden trailing former PresidentDonald Trump, while Harris holds a slight advantage over the twice-impeached, convicted felon, found civilly liable for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll.

Related: Hundreds of gay men evicted from Dallas hotel after AKA Sorority members complained about their attire

Newsweekreports that a new poll shows Harris ahead of Trump for the first time, with 42 percent support to Trump’s 41 percent. The results are within the margin of error.

Harris began by expressing support for Texans affected by Hurricane Beryl, which made landfall Monday, highlighting the administration’s commitment to recovery efforts. “President Biden has approved a major disaster declaration. And we will continue to stand with the people of Texas as we rebuild and recover,” she said.

More than one million Houston-area residents have been without power since Beryl made landfall Monday, and temperatures have soared above 90 degrees.

Harris, an AKA member, shared personal stories and highlighted the sorority’s legacy of creating social and legal change. The sorority is a historically Black service one.

“Our sisterhood was founded in the face of profound challenges in our country,” she said. “Despite all of this, and perhaps because of it, our founders believed in the power of sisterhood and service. And our founders believed in the promise of America — a promise of freedom, opportunity, and equality not for some but for all.”

Addressing current issues, Harris discussed efforts to make healthcare more affordable and accessible. “We decided to address the cost of insulin with the knowledge that Black people are 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes. And we took on Big Pharma and capped the cost of insulin for our elders at $35 a month,” she said.

Her speech came days after a high-profile cultural clash at the Crowne Plaza Downtown Dallas on Saturday, where the Daddyland Festival circuit party clashed with the sorority convention,resulting in the eviction of hundreds of gay men from across the country. According to the hotel’s owner, AKA members complained about the attire or lack thereof that the gay attendees wore. A Houston-based fashion designer who attended the event as a vendor and was staying with his husband and two dogs in the hotel before being kicked out told The Advocate he believed the eviction “unwarranted and a clear sign of homophobia.”

Despite her longstanding support for theLGBTQ+ community, Harris did not address the incident in her speech. The Advocate’s repeated inquiries to AKA representatives went unanswered.

Harris has consistently supported Biden, insisting that he is the party’s nominee and expressing unwavering support for his candidacy. If Biden were to step aside, it would be challenging for Democrats to skip over Harris as the party nominee.

As Harris wrapped up her speech, she urged her sorority sisters to mobilize and ensure their voices were heard in the upcoming elections.

“Our nation is counting on the leaders in this room to guide us forward; to energize, organize, and mobilize; to register folks to vote and to get them to the polls in November,” she urged. “When we organize, mountains move. When we mobilize, nations change. And when we vote, we make history.”

Watch Vice President Kamala Harris’s speech below.

Vice President Harris Delivers a Keynote Speech During Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.’s 71st Bouléwww.youtube.com