(NewsNation) — The Black Lives Matter foundation is calling for an online Democratic primary rather than automatically appointing Kamala Harris as the nominee, organization executive Shalomyah Bowers told “Dan Abrams Live” on Tuesday.
Harris, whose rapid rise to the top of the party was record-breaking on the fundraising and endorsement fronts, is already considered the presumptive Democratic nominee just days after President Joe Biden’s exit from the race.
That’s because she secured more than the 1,976 delegates needed to secure her spot as the party’s sole nominee. It’s a process Bowers believes is “steamrolling people” and making it so the Black community’s hard-earned right to vote becomes null.
“Our ancestors have died, right? Blood, sweat and tears has gone into earning the right to vote,” Bowers said. “Whether it be a Democrat or Republican Party, we are going to fight to make sure Black people can vote.”
On July 23, the foundation shared a lengthy statement regarding Harris’ ascension, claiming Democratic elites and their billionaire backers are “attempting to manipulate black voters by anointing Kamala Harris and an unknown vice president as the new democratic ticket without a primary vote by the public.”
The organization goes on to say this “blatant disregard for democratic principles is unacceptable,” calling on the Democratic National Committee to “create a process that allows for public participation in the nomination process, not just a nomination by party delegates” in a post on X.
“To be clear, our target here isn’t Kamala Harris,” Bowers said. “Our target here is the Democratic Party.”
Bowers added that, if Biden’s endorsement went to anyone but Harris, it’s likely more people would join BLM’s call for a primary. That’s indicative of a problem, according to Bowers.
“If you’re able to switch the person, and then you have a problem with it, that probably tells you it’s not a principled stance,” he added. “And we are a movement and an organization that cares deeply about principles and values, because we have to.”
