News that former Vice President Joe Biden won the race to become the 46th U.S. president broke Saturday morning as the Walk for Justice and Peace rallied on Main Street in Cortez.
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., made history by becoming the first woman, the first Black woman and the first South Asian vice president-elect.
Harris also is the first Black attorney general for California and the second Black woman in the U.S. Senate.
As vice president-elect, Harris also is first graduate of historically Black colleges and universities to be elected to such a high level of office.
Participants in the Walk for Justice celebrated the results of the election as they marched in front of City Market and when they returned to Centennial Park.
“A small piece of justice was served today ... a bite,” said Raleigh Marmorstein, one of the organizers in the march.
Members of the Walk for Justice expressed relief over the ousting of President Donald Trump, who has wielded falsehoods about former President Barack Obama’s birthplace, referred to African nations as “s---hole countries,” told congresswomen of color to go back where they came from, called Mexican immigrants “rapists” and refused to denounce white supremacy during a presidential debate.
Honking coming from many vehicles on Main Street supported the Walk for Justice and celebrated Biden’s election.
Marchers held up signs that read: “Love Conquers All,” “Stop Killing Us,” “Black Lives Matter,” “Native Lives Matter” and “We don’t have the complexion for protection.”
As a Black woman, Harris is expected to bring an important perspective to America’s reckoning on civil unrest over systematic racism, reignited by the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in May.
But Harris and Biden’s victory, projected by The Associated Press after Biden won Pennsylvania’s 20 Electoral College votes, arrives days after a prolonged vote count reflecting a deeply divided electorate.
Trump won 60% of the votes for president in Montezuma County. Biden won 37.6%.
The Montezuma County Patriots’ Freedom Ride down Main Street in Cortez saw lower turnout numbers Saturday morning, but several vehicles still displayed flags supporting Trump.
This article was republished Nov. 7 to clarify that Kamala Harris has not yet become vice president.
