90 minutes after her scheduled arrival time, Vice President Kamala Harris has arrived at the College of Charleston to address hundreds of students about challenges affecting young people.
Harris’s speech is a part of her “Fight for Our Freedoms College Tour,” in which she visits different universities to speak to students and encourage them to vote. The Sottile Theater can accommodate 785 people.
Model and activist Amelie Zilbe and Tennessee state representative Justin Jones, both of Nashville, preside dover the discussion.
To enter, students started to line up as early as 9:45 a.m.
Caroline Gill, a sophomore, stated that she is interested in learning more about the Biden-Harris reelection campaign, particularly Harris’ stance on women’s reproductive rights and gun control.
Maddie Liebert and Abby Merritt, both sophomores majoring in education, are hoping that Harris would speak about the health of the educational system and touch on problems like the teacher shortage and rising salaries. According to Liebert, Harris should address the issue of enhancing teacher safety in schools in light of recent school shootings.
“This will be a long shot if she would even address it,“ Liebert said. “I feel like hearing her address that and if there’s any plan or initiative that’s going to take place to address those concerns would be the best thing I could hear out of this experience.”
On his monthlong college tour, Harris is currently at his sixth destination. The tour will focus on topics affecting young voters, including reproductive freedom, gun safety, climate action, voting rights, LGBTQ+ equality, and book restrictions, according to a statement from the White House.
The vice president’s most recent trip to South Carolina came in February, when he went there with U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., to discuss the administration’s efforts to increase access to affordable high-speed internet.
