♪♪ ♪ whoo! >> good afternoon, georgia. it's so great to be here.

well, thank you all. we love you back. thank you all so much for taking time to come out today. and we are so excited to be here with you all. i don't have to tell you all, this election, there is so much at stake for women, for our families, our freedoms and our health care. as you know, joe biden and vice president harris are fighting for these issues. the issues that women care about and so we know that women are ready to fight for joe biden and kamala harris. [cheers and applause] >> that's why i'm so honored to kick off women's history month and with our first lady dr. jill biden. [cheers and applause] >> and as you can see in the

crowd, we are kicking off women for biden. our national program that will mobilize women across the country because we know you all are a key part of our winning coalition. we know that when women show up, we win. [cheers and applause] >> we did it in 2020 and we are going to do it again in and that's why this coalition is taking action and bringing women together across this country so we can continue to support the campaign to show up and to fight for what we know are our fundamental free dms and rights. this coalition will also highlight the clear choice that we have in this election. because we know that president biden and vice president harris continue to champion so many of the issues that we care about.

from protected our fundamental freedom to choose, to ensuring safety in our schools, to helping to protect the health care that we deserve. so we are going to continue to work hard together to fight for these issues. and we've seen, time and time again, that republicans have underestimated the power of women. [applause] but together this november, women for biden-harris will make sure that republicans never make that mistake again. [cheers and applause] you all are critical partners for us here and that's why we're in georgia today, ready to get to work. we have so much to do between now and november 5, but we know that together, we will win. so i'd like to introduce our very own senior adviser here in the state of georgia, our senior

adviser jonae. [cheers and applause] >> good afternoon! thank you so much. the energy in this room is palpable. it is so great to look around and see so many amazing women, and men. so many familiar faces. and so many new friends. that i've made alongside my work in georgia. as a georgian it's been amazing to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with so many of you and so many in the most critically important fights in this state. electing senator rafael warnock and jon ossoff. [applause] and turning this state blue for president joe biden. [applause]

reach of you has been such and integral part of that work whether you have organized in your communities and your neighborhoods, whether you've knocked on doors, whether you've put together eevents in your communities with other women, or whether you've just sat and had those critically important conversations about why it is important to vote in this election. we have so many women in this state who are such powerful leaders, from our congressional delegation, to our powerful champions in the state house and the state senate, to our county party chairs, county party chairs in the room? [applause] to our amazing georgia georgia federation of democratic women. a lot of you in this room. to our amazing democratic women's council. [applause] our d.n.c. members from across the state. plus plus and so many pa grass

roots organizers, volunteers and leaders from across our party who have done such amazing work especially over the last few election cycles. thank you, thank you, thank you. i was telling you to give yourselves a hand but you already did so you know how hard this work is but how important this work is. so thank you so much. women are truly the heart beat of this movement and the work that you doe and will do over the next couple of months are going to make the difference in this election. i can assure you. i know it well. as i mentioned, the stories of women are so powerful and they are the heart beat of this campaign. the opportunity to tell these stories to women and communities across america, to give them a platform to share their stories, that is what this campaign is all about. so it is my honor to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you once again, as we turn this

state plu one more time. [cheers and applause] i'm excited to engage with each of you and hear your stories and why you come to join this movement and why re-electing president biden and vice president harris is so critically important. the stories telling -- the story telling is critical to our movement and so to do that today, i want you to join me in welcoming someone who is very dear to the atlanta small business community, she's an entrepreneur, a creator, and an incredible champion, founder and c.e.o. of village market, dr. lakeisha holman. [applause] >> good afternoon, everybody. good afternoon. my name is dr. lakeisha holman. i have to tell you a story

today. before i was ever a founder and c.e.o., i had a grandmother, i have a grandmother, who worked extremely hard in the mississippi delta. she created a life for herself as she survived the cotton fields. her vision was -- came from a place of need. she needed to create cletting for her siblings. that need turned into an empire and that empire afford her an opportunity to buy her home. to own the land that she lived on. and it came by the gift of her hands. and at the age of 83, this onlywoman had the audacity to pull out her sewing machine one more time. during the pandemic she made masks for everyone who needed them.

[applause] and so i remember telling my grandmother one day, did you know you're an entrepreneur? she said well, baby, i don't know what that is. but i know for sure that i created a business, a business in excellence, where i cared about every single person who walked through my door. they were much more than a customer to me. but i asked my grandmother other questions as well. i said what did you need as a found for the mississippi? what did you need as a small business owner? and she said, i needed a place, a community, where the sky didn't sit so low. where there wasn't a barrier on how far i could grow. i needed access to funding. i needed support. because i know i could have gone further if i had it. and what's so interesting about my grandmother's story, i talked to other entrepreneurs.

and i asked them what are their needs. so many years later, the founders are saying the same thing. i need funding. i need resources. i need the sky not to sit so low. and so, y'all, i left my world as an educator just like our first lady, and i created my business, the village market, to advance and support -- to advance and support founders in a city of atlanta -- in the city of atlanta but all over america. i wanted to make sure that the sky sat high and that entrepreneurs had an opportunity to accelerate with communities pushing and pulling thepg forward. what's so inspiring about being an entrepreneur, it takes a level of grit, vision and determination. but what's so incredible about

being a woman-led business, we don't just build for ourselves. as we get -- as we advance, the community advances. [applause] and one of the reasons why i'm so inspired and excited to be here today, the biden-harris administration has had such intentionality around small business owners. as they saw national -- as they solve national problems they have the uncanny ability to go city-by-city and look eye-to-eye with founders, lifting their stories, celebrating their businesses, because they know that when a small business does well, america does well. [applause] i appreciate the way that the biden harris administration has also made sure that barriers of federal contracts have been eliminated for founders.

i appreciate the technical assistance and the funding that has been deployed across america to ensure that there's an equal playing field so the sky can sit high for every founder. and look at today. women came out, y'all came out, we came out -- [applause] in the rain to not just celebrate this historic moment, but to celebrate the kickoff of women's history month. [applause] as we celebrate and kick off women's history month, one thing we must always immortalize and celebrate, that women lead movements. and we do so with such intentionality. women get things done.

[applause] and i got a feeling that we're going to get things done this year as well. that in november, we're going to paint the sky blue. and it is going to take the work of everyone in this room to take this enthusiasm this passion, and take it back to your communities. because women, we got work to do. and let's be unwavering in our pursuit to protect our country, to advance our communities and let's do it as a collective. [applause] >> greetings, everyone. my name is sky jackson. as a graduating senior at spellman college, i'm thrilled

to be casting my vote for the very first time this year in this upcoming election. i am so excited to be in support of president biden and vice president harris. and i am honored to be standing here today with dr. biden as we launch women for biden-harris in atlanta. thank you. [applause] the significance of this moment resonates deeply with me as i transition from academia to my future career. my education at spellman has empowered me to recognize the pivotal role that political engagement plays in shaping our future. issues such as education, social justice, health care, and so much more are at stake. these issues impact my generation and demand our active participation. i know that president biden and vice president harris are fighting to ensure that young people like me have the

opportunity to have a great and affordable college education. and also to pursue our careers and passions without any limitations. i know that dr. biden shares these commitments. especially as an educator of over 30 years. every day she's working to invest in the lives and futures of women. i view this election as the responsibility to honor the legacy of those who have come before us and continue to fight to protect our fundamental freedoms, our health care, and our democracy. voting -- thank you. [applause] voting is not just a right, it's a tangible way to influence change and ensure that my voice is heard. i look forward to not only voting in this election in november, but also encouraging

my family, friends, and fellow peers to join me in re-electing president biden and vice president harris. [cheers and applause] i am so glad that dr. biden is here today in georgia to share the president's vision for our country, and celebrate the amazing women who champion our rights and work tirelessly every single day to ensure we elect leaders who will do the same. please join me in welcoming back to georgia our first lady, dr. jill biden. [cheers and applause] dr. biden: thank you. thank you very much. thank you. wow. [laughter] so, i want to say, sky, you

know, you and i have something in common because the first time i ever voted, i voted for my husband joe, i didn't even know him. and thank god i voted for him. [laughter] so -- honestly, when you speak, doesn't poetry just come out of her mouth? you are one impressive woman, thank you so much. so thank you sky, and thank you for sharing your story, and it's students like you that joe and kamala are fighting for every day. and i know that they would be honored to hear that you're casting your first vote for them. so julie and jonae, joe and i are grateful for your leadership and proud of what you're building here in atlanta and

beyond. and sonia, thank you for opening this space for us today. [applause] so it's no accident that georgia is where we have chosen to launch the women for biden, because four years ago, georgia, you put us in the white house. [cheers and applause] and joe and i will never forget how hard you worked for us and how much you gave. so we're grateful. and that's why i wanted to start here, in the place that lifted us over the top, so thank you very much for being here today. [cheers and applause] so, when i was growing up, in a

suburb outside of philadelphia, anybody here from philly? [applause] a couple of people, yay! so when i dreamed of what i wanted my life to become, i knew i wanted two things. a marriage like my parents' that was strong and loving and full of laughter, and i wanted a career. so i set out to find those two things, but my path was just a little meandering. so some of you may remember this. it was the 1970's. ok, a couple of heads are shaking. so it was vietnam. love beads. and equal rights. i wore my hair down to the middle of my waist. and so did most of the men i

dated. so one day i walked -- i was asked out on a date, just out of the blue. and that evening, like i said, it was the 1970's. so that evening, this handsome young senator showed up at my door. well, remember, i -- the guys were wearing bell bot toms and clogs? i go to the door. i open the door. i took one look at his perfect suit and his leather loafers and i said, thank god it's only one date. [laughter] one date eventually turned into a marriage proposal, and if i'm being honest, it was five

proposals, because this was really not a part of my plan. and more than that, it wasn't just my heart that was on the line. as many of you may know, years before, joe's wife and baby daughter were killed in a car accident. and the boys, beau and hunter, had to be in the hospital for several months. and after all that they had lost, i knew that if i said yes to joe's marriage proposal, that it had to be forever. and eventually i realized that my love for joe and the boys outweighed any fears i had and i said yes. [applause] so i'll never forget what joe said next. he said, i promise you, your life will never change.

[laughter] of course that was proved to be wildly untrue. life is change. for all of us. we learn and we grow. we overcome heart break that we never could have imagined. we find wisdom and grit and empathy. but in the last few years, we've seen a different kind of change. you know, a rupture in the foundation of our democracy. a pullback of the hard work -- of the hard progress we have won. we are the first generation to -- for half a century to give our daughters a country with fewer rights than we had. i'm going to have to put on my glasses, i can't see this.

[laughter] now i can see. all right. i'll start that line over again. so we are the first generation in half a century to give our daughters a country with fewer rights than we had. book bans. voting laws gutted. court decisions that strip away our most basic freedoms. but circumstances is not destiny. four years ago, critics said that we couldn't win. but here in georgia, they told us that a democrat hadn't won in 30 years. but georgia, you know what, you proved them wrong. [cheers and applause]

you talked to your friends and neighbors. you called strangers and reminded them to vote. you put on masks and hopped on zoom. you raised money and changed minds. you gave everything you had to make joe biden and kamala harris president and vice president. [cheers and applause] and we won by just 12,000 votes. women put joe biden in the white house. [cheers and applause] and you know what? women are going to do it again. [cheers and applause] because we know what's at stake. i've been so proud of how joe has placed women at the center

of his agenda. starting with his historic pick for vice president. kamala harris. [cheers and applause] the first, but not the last. president biden is defending reproductive rights. fighting for a national law that would restore roe's protections. and yes, that means protecting i.v.f. and access to contraception. [applause] and he's accomplished so much more. making child care more affordable. creating access to maternal health services. appointing ke tan gee brown jackson. and passing historic gun safety laws.

my husband is the author of the violence against women act. and i saw him write that bill on reams of yellow legal -- on reams of yellow legal paper. by hand. and he spent his entire career lifting up women. but donald trump? [audience boos] he spent a lifetime tearing us down and devaluing our existence. he mocks women's bods. disrespects our accomplishments. and brags about assault. now he's bragging about killing roe v. wade. just last night he took credit again for enabling states like georgia to pass cruel abortion bans that are taking away the right of women to make their own

health care decisions. how far will he go? when will he stop? you know the answer. he won't. he won't. he said it himself last night in his own words. he's considering a national abortion ban. donald trump is dangerous. to women and to our families. we simply cannot let him win. we can't wake up on november 6 like we did in 2016. terrified of the future ahead of us. thinking, oh my god, what just happened? what are we going to do now? we must re-elect joe biden and kamala harris.

[cheers and applause] so how are we going to do it? just look around you. women for biden-harris. [cheers and applause] we're going to do what we did in 2020 and 2022. we're going to talk to our friends and we're going to tell them why this election is so important. we're going to tell them what's at stake. sign up for phone banks and canvassing shifts. we're going to meet this moment as if our rights are at risk, because they are. [applause] as if our democracy is on the line. because it is. we will decide our future. because here's the thing about men like donald trump.

they underestimate our power because they don't understand it. [applause] they see our we lead through collaboration. by empowering others. they see that as weakness. but we know that our community is our strength. they see our empathy and our compassion and vulnerability. but we know that what gives us the clarity to fight, we fight for what is right. they think our love for our children makes us soft. but we know that these are the lives that light a fire in our hearts, that makes us fear and -- fearless and unafraid.

they see us working late shifts and making grocery lists, driving to soccer practices and volunteering, caring for our parents, and raising money for those in need. and they think we can be ignored. they don't know that our to-do lists are our battle maps. [cheers and applause] when our daughters' future are at stake, when our country hangs in the balance, we are immovable and unstoppable. [cheers and applause] that's what our power looks like. and it's time we show them once again just what we can do. by working every day from now

until the polls close on primary day here in georgia, on march 12 and on election day in november. by re-electing joe biden and kamala harris, by deciding the future that we want, the future we all need, and when we do, when we do, ladies, nothing and no one can stand in our way. thank you, georgia! [cheers and applause] ♪ baby i'm going to have the best night of my life ♪♪ [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2024]

[captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> sunday, on c-span's "q&a," "new york times" white house correspondent katy rogers shares her book "american woman" and the -- about the mern evolution of first ladies of the united stateand the impact and contributions by first ladies of both parties going back to hillary clinton and hair changing roles in the 21st century. >> melania trump, you know, highlighted for americans the fact that you don't have to do anything with this role if you don't want to. there have been first ladies throughout history who did, you know, very little compared to hillary clinton orel nor roosevelt who was always the standard bearer. but the fact that melania trump

was doing this in our times, as they are, is -- is almost radical. >> kateie rogers with her book "amecan woman," sunday night on c-span's "q&a." you can listen to "q&a" and all our podcasts on the free clrvetion span now app. >> today, watch c-span's 2024 campaign trail, a weeky lowndup of campaign coverage. a one-stop shop to discover what candidates across the country are saying to voters, along with firsthand accounts from political reporters, updated poll numbers, fundraising data and campaign ads. watch c-span's 2024 campaign trail, today at 7:00 eastern on c-span, online at c-span.org, or download as a podcast on c-span now our free mobile app, or whenever you -- or wherever you

get your podcast. c-span, your unfiltered view of politics. >> a healthy democracy doesn't just look like this. it looks like this. where americans can see democracy at work. when citizens are truly informed, our republic thrives. get informed, straight from the source. on c-span. unfiltered, unbiased, word-for-word. from the nation's capital to wherever you are. because the opinion that matters the most is your own. this is what democracy looks like. c-spanpored by cable. on saturday, former president donald trump will spe tvotes for the greensboro, north carolina, aheadf xt week's super tuesday contest. we'll have live coverage on c-spanc-an now, our free mobile video app, and online at c-span.org.

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