The 19th

In the week since President Joe Biden decided against seeking reelection, Black women have organized on the ground and online in support of Vice President Kamala Harris as she continues on the path to the Democratic nomination for president. On the latest episode of the Amendment podcast, The 19th’s Editor-at-Large Errin Haines and social justice activist Brittany Packnett Cunningham discuss how organizations like Win With Black Women, Black sororities and historically Black colleges and universities have been preparing for this moment and this candidate. Listen via Amazon Music, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. https://bit.ly/46ja6mi

Thursday night, more than 164,000 women logged on to a Zoom call so successful that it crashed the video meeting platform several times. The gathering, called “White Women: Answer The Call! Show up for Kamala Harris,” had clear goals: to push White women to recognize their privilege and the way they have frequently failed to use it as political capital — and to get them to avoid making the same mistake again. Two of the organizers were Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, the group that changed the face of the gun safety movement by mobilizing mothers, and Erin Gallagher, creator of Hype Women. Among the participants were the singer P!nk; the actor Connie Britton; the writer and podcaster Glennon Doyle; athletes Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird and Abby Wambach; and a long list of elected officials, including Congresswomen Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Lizzie Fletcher of Texas. The call was a runaway success, with money coming in at a volume and pace so intense the Democratic National Committee’s fundraising site went down. By Friday afternoon, the group had raised over $8.5 million. “I think it’s really important that women — White women — are willing to go through the transformational process of listening and learning…[They] have this power that they can use to change things for the better, and not just for themselves,” Watts told 19th Editor-at-Large Errin Haines during an episode of The Amendment Podcast in early July. https://bit.ly/3SoZRr2

“Girl, we broke Zoom." Over 164,000 women joined the “White Women: Answer The Call! Show up for Kamala Harris,” meeting held over Zoom to discuss support, privilege and allyship as they raised millions for the vice president's campaign.

And it's just in time for the Olympics.

The Women’s Justice Commission, led by former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, seeks to address gaps in research and data focused on women in the criminal legal system.

A new 19th News/SurveyMonkey poll finds that Americans overwhelmingly agree with President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race — and that the majority agree with his decision to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place. Eighty-seven percent of Americans said they were in favor of Biden’s decision to drop out, with 53 percent in favor of his endorsement. Women voiced stronger support for the endorsement than men, 58 percent to 48 percent. But as voters face the prospect of a close presidential race, many — particularly women and people of color — are also wondering if the United States is ready for a woman of color to be president or for a two-woman ticket. The poll found that 31 percent of Americans said being a woman would help Harris’ chances of becoming president while 33 percent said it would hurt. Women were slightly more likely than men to think that Harris’ gender would hurt her candidacy — 35 percent to 31 percent. Also, people were more inclined to think that Harris’ race and heritage as a Black woman of Indian descent would help her than hurt her. People of color were more likely to think that Harris’s race would hurt her chances of becoming president, including 32 percent of Black Americans. Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential election, according to the poll, would put the election in a dead heat if it were held today: 39 percent of Americans said they would vote for former President Donald Trump and 38 percent said they would vote for Harris. https://bit.ly/4c0uav7

LGBTQ+ voters are grappling with Harris’ complicated history on transgender issues, both as a member of the Biden administration and previously as a California prosecutor. But, they say, she’s shown growth over time. https://bit.ly/3y2c2Dj

Harris pushed for tighter rules on anti-abortion centers and has been a vocal critic of limits on reproductive rights in other states. https://bit.ly/3WF6U0b

When Jenny Nguyen opened The Sports Bra in 2022, she started a movement: Bars that only show women’s sports. Now, fandom and pay are rapidly growing — and it’s time for the Olympics.

“We’re just kind of celebrating that one of our own is in a position,” said a fellow Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority member.