Donna Brazile: Kamala Harris spoke to 'the women who broke their backs just trying to get ahead'

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Donna Brazile, Juan Williams reflect on historic keynote address of Kamala Harris

Donna Brazile and Juan Williams react to the historic acceptance speech of Kamala Harris at the 2020 DNC

Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris delivered her acceptance speech Wednesday night in a room filled with the spirits of generations of women who had gone before her, former Democratic National Committee interim chairwoman Donna Brazile said.

"There were a lot of people in that room tonight," Brazile said during Fox News special coverage of the Democratic National Convention. "We didn't see them, but they were there, their spirits. The love that they have for justice and equality, the love they have for their country. The women who picked cotton, the women who broke their backs just trying to get ahead, she spoke to all of them and many, many more."

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Harris, 55, is the first Black woman on a major party's presidential ticket. She paid special tribute to her Indian immigrant mother for raising Harris and her sister to be "proud strong Black women" and called out systemic racism that persists in America.

"The women who picked cotton, the women who broke their backs just trying to get ahead, she spoke to all of them and many many more."

— Donna Brazile, Fox News

At one point, Harris said her vision of American is one "where all are welcome, no matter what we look like, where we come from, or who we love" and a country where "we look out for one another."

"She called out their names," Brazile said. "She gave them a part of this moment. She told their stories, that have never been told, [of] women who were despised simply because of what they look like."

Brazile praised Harris for the passion and sincerity with which she conveyed her personal story and commitment to voters, despite the lack of a physical audience due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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"Tonight, there are so many people who are crying, so many people who are screaming, so many people saying, 'Now, finally, someone who looks like me can aspire to the highest office in the land," Brazile said. "And yes, someone who dared to go to a Black college [Harris received her undergraduate degree from Howard University] can now say that 'I am going to the White House one day.'"

"I was in the room," Brazile added. "Let the church say, I was in the room."

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"The Five" co-host Juan Williams highlighted Harris' reminder that "there is no vaccine for racism," which he said represents her political shift.

"She was very clear in speaking out the names of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and speaking to the kind of energy and enthusiasm that we've seen with that Black Lives Matter movement as it’s hit the streets and really changed the political environment in the country today."

"She spoke about family first, about her mother, her dad, her aunts, cousins, nieces, and godchildren, the way she spoke about her sorority and historically Black colleges, suggested that she now understands and is part of the movement of today," Williams added. "She is buying into the energy, the energy of the Democratic Party as it comes to the table for this election. "

Fox News' Marisa Schultz contributed to this report.