“I accept your nomination for the vice presidency of the United States,” Harris declared when delivering a speech to the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which for the first time was held online due to the pandemic.

Harris, who represents the state of California in the Senate, is running in the elections on November 3 in tandem with former Vice President Joe Biden, 77, who is running for the Oval Office.

The daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, Harris would be the first black woman in the US vice presidency.

During her acceptance speech, Harris paid tribute to the generations of Black women – and particularly Black women – who had fought for decades for voting rights and “paved the way for the pioneering leadership of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.”

“Without fanfare or recognition, they organized, testified, demonstrated, marched, and fought, not just for their vote, but for a seat at the table. These women and the generations that followed worked to make democracy and opportunity real in the lives of all of us who follow,” she said.

Harris called for changing the course of history and making America “a country where we care for one another, where we rise and fall as one, where we face our challenges and celebrate our triumphs, together.”

The Democratic vice-presidential candidate noted that Donald Trump’s failed leadership cost Americans lives and livelihoods.

“Right now, we have a president who turns our tragedies into political weapons. Joe [Biden] will be a president who turns our challenges into purpose,” she said.