Kamala Harris’ nomination roll call may be ceremonial, but it’s momentous for Black women and Asian Americans in Pa. delegation

The roll call meant nothing. It also meant a whole lot.

Vice President Kamala Harris, 59, officially became her party’s nominee two weeks ago, without much ceremony, following a virtual vote of delegates.

So when Pennsylvania’s delegation cast its 178 votes Tuesday evening to nominate Harris to become the first Black woman and first Asian American nominated by a major political party, it was simply ceremonial.

But to Pennsylvanians on the floor at the convention whose political careers have also been marked by being the first or the only, or among a small group, the moment felt significant.

“To put the first Black woman at the top of the ticket and only the second time to have a woman there, there’s shared enthusiasm across the country from all sorts of groups and demographics seeing themselves, feeling represented,” said Monica Taylor, a delegate, who is the first Black woman to serve as chair of the Delaware County Council.

The roll call doubled as a joyful pep rally for the delegations from around the nation with song selections for each state, including dual choices of Boyz II Men’s “Motown Philly” and Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow”for Pennsylvania.

It began with President Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware and ended with Minnesota and California, the home states of vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and Harris.

When the roll call came to Pennsylvania, Dwan Walker, the first Black mayor of Aliquippa, in Beaver County, addressed the convention and explained he forged his political path in 2009, following the murder of his sister.

“Twelve years this city has been under my watch,” Walker told the convention. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead my city. I’m grateful for the state of Pennsylvania. God bless everyone in this room.”

Walker then passed the microphone to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was a top contender to serve as Harris’ running mate before her selection of Walz earlier this month.

“The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the birthplace of democracy, the birthplace of freedom, the greatest commonwealth of all,” he said, “together, Pennsylvania casts 178 votes for the next Madam President of the United States, Kamala Harris, and Vice President Tim Walz.”

The delegation cheering along included Rogette Harris, the only Black woman who chairs one of the state’s 67 county Democratic parties. She’s had that distinction for the last four years.

“I became chair because I was asked to run and as women of color we’re not asked to run as much,” Harris said. “We need to encourage and recruit women of color to run for these seats.”

Harris of Dauphin County said that makes being a delegate at the historic convention meaningful. “This is personal for me.” she said.

Jamila Winder, the first Black woman to sit on the Montgomery County Commissioners board, was reflecting during the vote on her own journey.

“We think about what happened in 2016. We think about the fight that women oftentimes go through to assume positions of leadership, positions of power, and how the journey to those offices are hard fought,” she said. “I know from experience what I went through to sit in my seat. It’s historic. It means a lot, and it means that the tide is turning.”

Her fellow Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija, the first Asian American commissioner in any of the state’s 67 counties, has been a Harris supporter since he first met her when she was running for California attorney general. At that point in 2010, the South Asian American community didn’t have any elected officials in federal office.

”She’s the person at the table who sees and values everyone—no matter their title or status,” said Makhija, who celebrated attended a Diwali celebration at Harris’ house in Washington the day after he won his seat. “That’s her super power.”

In recent weeks, former President Donald Trump has sought to use Harris’ Indian heritage as a way to question the vice president’s Black identity.

Harris has always embraced both identities. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, immigrated from India in 1958 to study endocrinology at the University of California, Berkeley. Her father, Donald Harris, immigrated from Jamaica in 1961 to study economics at the same university and the couple met through their involvement in the Civil Rights movement.

Arvind Venkat, a delegate from McCandless and state representative from Pittsburgh’s suburbs, has family from the same part of India that Harris’ mother’s family is from. Venkat is the first Indian American to serve in the statehouse and the only Asian American to be elected west of Harrisburg.

Venkat said while experiencing the moment live in Chicago is “extremely special,” part of him wished he could watch with his wife, son, and two daughters, who will both be able to cast their first vote for president in November.

“I’ll be thinking about them, as young women of Indian background seeing the first South Asian, the first African American female nominee standing there and potentially becoming the next president of the United States and what that says about what’s possible in this country,” he said.

When Harris came out in a bit of a surprise appearance to greet the crowd on opening night Monday, Pennsylvania’s delegation jumped to its feet from their section immediately to the front left of the stage — a sign of the state’s importance.

“This is Philadelphia in the house today,” Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said while standing alongside three other elected officials from the city who are women of color.

City Council Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson called the “energy in this building is palpable.”

”We feel excited. We feel joyous,” she said. Like Parker, Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton, whose district includes parts of West and Southwest Philadelphia and Delaware County, is the first Black woman to hold her office, and she commented on the historical nature of Harris’ candidacy.

”It is just unbelievable that in this convention, we are going to make history by nominating the first Asian and Black woman, who is so accomplished, has a resume longer than all of ours combined, has held every elected office at the local, state, federal level,” McClinton said.

“What this means for women all across our nation, of every country, is absolutely awesome.”

Staff writer Anna Orso contributed to this article.