Black Drumlines Performing For The 2019 Kamala Harris Campaign & The 2020 Biden-Harris Campaign (videos & article excerpts)

Kansaspolitics, Sep 25, 2019

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post documents videos of and comments about the role of Black drumlines in the 2019 Kamala Harris campaign to be the Democratic nominee for United States President, and in the 2020 Biden-Harris campaign (former Vice President Joe Biden for President, and Senator Kamala Harris for Vice President.)

Excerpts from two articles about the inclusion of Black drum lines in the Biden-Harris campaign and about Kamala Harris dancing during the campaign are also included in this post.

This pancocojams post also includes links to two additional videos of Black drum lines performing during Senator Kamala Harris' 2019 campaign. 

An Addendum to this post showcase two videos of a Black marching band performing in a get out the vote event in New York City (2020). 

The content of this post is presented for cultural and political purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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EXCERPT FROM DAILY KOS ARTICLE 
From https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/10/30/1990949/-Twitter-sends-Peggy-Noonan-the-new-Biden-Harris-ad-chock-full-of-Black-folks-drumming-and-dancing "Twitter sends new Biden-Harris ad full of Black folks drumming and dancing straight to Peggy Noonan" by Denise Oliver Velez, October 20, 2020
"Is a new ad posted to Twitter by Kamala Harris an epic 51 seconds of shade in response to the recent nasty diss of Harris by Republican columnist Peggy Noonan?

The Harris-supporting Twitterati seemed to think so, because as soon as the tweet dropped, it was being forwarded to Peggy Noonan, who, in a Wall Street Journal column, described Harris as “giddy,” “insubstantial,” and “frivolous.” I reported on those slurs from Noonan earlier this week [https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/10/26/1989626/-Twitter-washes-Republican-hack-Peggy-Noonan-away-as-she-tries-to-rain-on-Kamala-s-parade  ]. The ad, which has no voice-over, has a Black drum line soundtrack. In her “critique” of Harris, Noonan also seemed to have a problem with drum lines, which are part of a long Historically Black College and University (HBCU) tradition. You be the judge."
-snip-
I searched for this ad on YouTube but didn't find it. Portions of the ad features the now viral clip of Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris dancing on stage in the rain.

At least two brief clips in that ad show Black women doing sorority stroll movements (i.e. from .10-11 three women in front of the stage right before the clip of Kamala Harris dancing onstage in the rain and .018 two women in jeans and one woman in a short black dress women doing sorority stroll movements.) 

Historically Black Greek letter sorority and fraternity strolls can be differentiated from social line dancing because people performing those stroll movements do a hand gesture associated with their particular sorority or fraternity while they move in a line.
-snip-
Here's an African American Vernacular English definition for the word "shade" as it is used in that dailykos article:
Shade (shading) - to deliver a clever indirect insult/diss or a clever, indirect comeback (retort) to a diss/insult
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Here are two comments from Denise Oliver Velez's dailykos article (numbers added for referencing purposes only)

1. Denise Oliver Velez AUTHOR, Oct 30, 2020 
"FYI. I was a baby drum-majorette at Southern University when I was 9 years old.  I grew up watching football half-times with Black marching bands from HBCUs.  I went to Howard.  I’m personally offended by Noonan’s smear, and will be listening to drumlines for the duration of the campaign!"

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2. BillyKI Reply to Denise Oliver Velez AUTHOR, Oct 30, 2020 
"Ever since that movie I’ve become a closet Drumline admirer! Out of the closet now, heading to you tube for a fix.

I vote for joy, we have such a need for some unbridled joy. The last four years have sucked so much joy out of our worlds that being happy and joyous is cause for “poo pooing”; fie on her."
-snip-
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaGoM25tGVA&ab_channel=Movieclips for one scene from the 2002 movie Drumline.

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EXCERPT FROM A YAHOO.COM ARTICLE ABOUT WALL STREET JOURNALIST PEGGY NOONAN'S CRITIQUE ABOUT DEMOCRATIC VICE PRESIDENT CANDIDATE KAMALA HARRIS
From https://news.yahoo.com/columnist-peggy-noonan-slammed-saying-184000072.html "Columnist Peggy Noonan slammed for saying Harris’ dancing is ‘embarrassing’" by Stephanie Guerilus. October 26, 2020 

"Sen. Kamala Harris enjoyed a lighthearted moment in the rain but conservative columnist Peggy Noonan has derided it as “embarrassing.”

When Harris, the vice-presidential Democratic candidate, was on the campaign trail last week in Jacksonville, Florida she glided her Chuck Taylor’s in rhythm to Mary J. Blige's “Work That” during a downpour.

Harris dancing along with an umbrella quickly went viral. After she shared a snapshot on her social media account, Noonan took aim at the California senator’s moment of fun to suggest she wasn’t serious about the election. 
[...]

For her part, vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris is, when on the trail, giddy. She’s dancing with drum lines and beginning rallies with “Wassup, Florida!” She’s throwing her head back and laughing a loud laugh, especially when nobody said anything funny,” Noonan wrote in a critique for the Wall Street Journal.

“She’s the younger candidate going for the younger vote, and she’s going for a Happy Warrior vibe, but she’s coming across as insubstantial, frivolous. When she started to dance in the rain onstage, in Jacksonville, Fla., to Mary J. Blige’s “Work That,” it was embarrassing,” she wrote."...
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That Oct. 23, 2020 WSJ article can be found at https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-good-debate-and-its-not-quite-over-11603426466
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SELECTED ADDITIONAL VIDEOS OF DRUMLINES IN KAMALA HARRIS'S PRIMARY  CAMPAIGN (2019) 

These videos are presented in no particular order. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

1.  Kamala Harris Greets Her Drumline at Nevada Democrats' First in the West Event in Las Vegas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PovrZSqVbPk&ab_channel=AndrewDavey

Andrew Davey Nov 17, 2019
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A commenter indicated that this marching band is from Robert O. Gibson middle school on las Vegas Nevada.

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2. Shaw University Marching Band Drumline 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Afw9SL6rBNU&ab_channel=MikeWORLD

Mike WORLD, Sept. 28, 2020

Shaw University Marching Band Drumline Section playing for Senator Kamala Harris

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ADDENDUM: BLACK MARCHING BAND PERFORMS DURING 2020 EARLY VOTING EVENT IN NEW YORK CITY 

Video #1: Marching band outside of Barclays Center on the first day of early voting in NYC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7uXuBFGf-s&ab_channel=Gothamist

Gothamist, Oct 24, 2020 [This video is only 10 seconds.]

Brooklyn United Marching Band outside of Barclays Center on the first day of early voting in NYC. Read more on gothamist.com
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Notice that the band is wearing face masks because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some of the time they are chanting while they march. Chanting is part of the Black (African American) marching tradition. However, it should also be noted that chanting and playing musical instruments may be dangerous during Covid-19.

Here are comments from that YouTube video's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only; All of these comments are from Oct. 24 t0 Oct. 30, 2020.
1. Stout Shako 
"TURN UP!!! (to vote)"

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2. Francisco Leon
"We should have a marching band to feel the rhythm at every polling station"

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3. Ruggie C. Ruggleby
"Can we just give a round of applause to these kids and the adults supporting their band in these tough times!"

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Video #2: Marching Band Parades Through Brooklyn on First Day of Early Voting in New York

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHMLsKlGioU&ab_channel=StoryfulNews

Storyful News, Oct. 25, 2020 [This video is .55 seconds.]
-snip-
This is the same band that is shown in Video #2. 

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