HAMPTON, Va. — It was a busy but exciting day! Hampton University Students, faculty, staff members and more told me they have all spent days preparing for Thursday's visit from Vice President Kamala Harris.
And whatever side of the aisle that you stand on, it’s always an exciting day to have one of your nation’s leaders for a visit.
I watched as students cheered as her motorcade arrived on the Hampton University's campus. Wearing their school colors, they chanted as she drove by.
And outside of Ogden Hall, there was a long line of students waiting to get in to see the vice president earlier Thursday afternoon.
It was very busy, students lined up just to try to get a look at the vice president. Students told me that it was standing room only inside.
I got the opportunity to speak with students afterwards who got to participate in the event, and some actually got to spend some time with the Vice President one on one.
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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at Hampton University
One of these students told me she even had the privilege of introducing her before she gave remarks.
Students told me that as great as it was to have the HBCU grad on campus, they were most looking forward to having a chance to chat with her about issues that are important to them and getting more young people out to vote.
“It’s so necessary, especially this generation because they talked a lot about the sensitive topics that a lot of people shy away from. But to be able to talk about these things in such depth is so necessary for us in general, just to be able to have our voices heard because our whole goal is to mobilize students and young adults to fight for our rights,” said Joshua Hoover, a Hampton University sophomore in the journalism program. “She was talking about gun laws, she was talking about book bans and all that, and stuff, and it’s amazing to be able to discuss these topics with the Vice President of the United States.”
Another student, Lillian Carr, told me she's been working on her introductory remarks for days as she prepared to welcome the vice president on campus.
“This is like an opportunity of a lifetime,” Carr told me. She's Hampton University’s Student Government Association President. "I don’t even think that it feels real yet. I still feel like, somebody pinch me, I just introduced the Vice President of the United States at my home by the sea, my HBCU. So, this is an opportunity that I never imagined receiving, it’s second to none. I’ll be able to tell my kids about this, and it still feels surreal.”
She also told me it’s important for students to get out and vote because it’s not only a right, but it’s a duty, and when we have an opportunity to use our voices, we should.
“Yes, we believe in the second amendment, but we also believe in background checks, we also believe in ensuring that these guns and these weapons aren’t getting in the hands of people who don’t need to be utilizing them,” said Carr. "Because mental health is a very prevalent issue, and it’s important that mental wellness is taken care of, and we are ensuring that the people who are using these weapons are not abusing them."
Another student I spoke with said it was an amazing experience, and it encouraged her to see that the Vice President was taking the time out to listen to them on her tour.
“It was amazing,” said Morgan Norris, a Hampton University journalism student I got to chat with. "As HBCU students, we need reassurance and that’s what Madame Vice President Harris gave us today. She gave us reassurance that we are being heard that our voices do matter, and that we are in the room when she’s making decisions."
Another student, Sean Powell, got the opportunity to ask the Vice President her very first question as part of her conversation with the students.
He asked about gun safety issues and gun violence—something very important to him and other students as college campuses have been targeted in the past.
“I believe that more restrictions need to be put in place, I believe they need to up the age and up the restrictions all together to be able to acquire one. Because what’s happening right now, we have a lot of people who are just able to just get a gun really easily, and they’re just doing terrible things to a lot of innocent people out there,” Sean Powell said to me.
During her discourse, Vice President Kamala Harris said that there will be moments in our lives and our history where we will need to step up and fight for what is right—and from speaking with these students, I could easily tell that they are engaged and ready to fight for the issues that are important to them.
