In the second Democratic Presidential Debate, many agree that Senator Kamala Harris had a breakout night. She was poised, intelligent, and full of Black Girl Magic. She even challenged former Vice-President Joe Biden, the front runner about his controversial remarks about working with racists as a young senator.


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“Vice President Biden, I do not believe you are a racist, and I agree with you, when you commit yourself to the importance of finding common ground. But I also believe — and it’s personal — it was actually hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country,” Harris said.

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She said Biden had worked to prevent the Department of Education from integrating school busing during the 1970s, which affected her as a child in California.

“That little girl was me. So, I will tell you that on this subject, it cannot be an intellectual debate among Democrats. We have to take it seriously. We have to act swiftly.


“I do not praise racists. That is not true,” he said. “Number two, if we want to have this litigated on who supports civil rights, I’m happy to do that. I was a public defender. I was not a prosecutor. I left a good firm to become a public defender when, in fact, my city was in flames because of the assassination of Dr. King…. Everything I have done in my career, I ran because of civil rights and continue to think we have to make fundamental changes and those civil rights, by the way, include not just African Americans, but the LGBT community.”

Harris hit back again on Biden’s record. “But do you agree today that you were wrong to oppose busing in America then? Do you agree?”

“I did not oppose busing in America,” Biden said, explaining, “what I opposed is busing ordered by the Department of Education, that’s what I opposed.”

“There was a failure of states to integrate schools in America. I was part of the second class to integrate Berkely, California, Public Schools, almost two decades after Brown v. Board of Education.” Biden interrupted–“Because your City Council made that decision.”

“So that’s where the federal government must step in,” Harris snapped back. “That’s why we have the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act. That’s why we have the Equality Act. That’s why we need to have the (Equal Rights Amendment) because there are moments in history where states fail to preserve the civil rights of all people.”