Shannon Watts never wanted to be an activist. Until December 14, 2012, her life changed. That day, 28 people were killed in a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Including 20 children.
The next day, Watts, a mother of five, created a Facebook group to appeal for action. The group becomes “Moms Demand Action,” an NGO that campaigns against gun violence and brings Watts to national attention.
When Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the race at the end of July and supported Kamala Harris as his presidential candidate, Watts had a sense of déjà vu. A wake-up moment like back in 2012. The desire to do something. After Black women and Black men have already organized in support of Harris via Zoom, Watts is hosting a video conference called “White Women: Answer the Call.” More than 200,000 people take part, eleven million dollars flow into Harris’ campaign coffers – according to Zoom, it is the largest online meeting that has ever taken place.
For the Democrats it is the beginning of a wave of euphoria. For Watts, it was the start of a full-time job as a campaigner. Today, the 53-year-old is one of the most important voices in Harris’ campaign. Dem star She talked about the Democrats’ nervousness in the final stretch of the election campaign and how white women could tip the scales.
At the end of July, your Zoom meeting “White Women: Answer the Call” caused quite a stir. Why did you launch a call specifically for white women?
Since women have been allowed to vote in the United States, the majority of white women have only voted for the Democratic presidential candidate twice. The reason for this is that we have often voted in our own interest rather than in the best interest of all women.
