Kamala Harris spoke not about ambition or elections, but about fear — and the courage required to move forward anyway. In her home state, under intense scrutiny, she chose honesty over bravado, addressing the real cost of leadership for women who are often told to stay quiet or step aside.

Speaking to Black women leaders in Dana Point, Harris framed courage as a daily act, especially for those who are first, different, or frequently targeted. She emphasized that leadership is not about ego or visibility, but about who is lifted along the way when one person rises.

She connected that idea to concrete work: protecting voting rights, improving maternal health, and advancing economic equity. Progress, she argued, is not born on national stages but in local rooms where people commit to one another long before cameras arrive.

When she finished, the message that lingered wasn’t applause but responsibility. Keep going. Stay united. And carry the work forward together — even when resistance makes the path heavier.