Vashti Dorman | Staff Writer
The election results are in, and Joe Biden has been elected to serve as the 46th president of the United States. The news came early Saturday, and with the advances in technology and social media, the news of his victory quickly spread through the Hampton University community.
Since Hampton is currently online for the 2020-2021 semester due to COVID-19, celebrating together on social media was the closest thing to celebrating on campus. Even though students felt an obvious disappointment from not being able to share this moment in person with their fellow peers and classmates, Hampton students didn’t allow distance to stop them from enjoying this monumental movement in history for our community.
“I found out through Twitter when one of my friends tweeted ‘Biden Won,’” said Briana Previlon, a third-year Political Science major from Boston, Massachusetts. “I’m kind of sad we aren’t on campus to celebrate together, but we celebrated together online in a way,” she finished.
On every social media platform, Hampton students were celebrating by posting comical videos, sharing posts, and tweeting to show their excitement for Donald Trump losing to Joe Biden. Also, a lot of first-time voters displayed excitement for casting their first ballot for the first African American and female vice president.
“This is my first time voting, and it just so happens that I was allowed the pleasure of voting for a black woman,” said Cheri Manning, a third-year psychology major from Rochester, New York. “I cried when I found out Joe and Kamala won. I never thought it would be possible in this America,” she continued.
Many Hampton students felt the same way, tweeting about their excitement and joy for being able to see the first woman of color elected as the next vice president of America.
After months of struggling to adapt to online learning, receiving what seems like an endless load of bad news, and surviving the unparalleled year of 2020 overall, students showed that they needed something to celebrate. This news served as a mental break for several people, allowing them to set aside whatever stresses they were facing at the moment and share in the joy of the presidential election results.
Later that day, the Hampton community shared a historic moment in watching Kamala Harris give a speech on national television as the first woman of color vice president of the United States. Many students shared tears of joy to be able to see a woman from the same background as them run the country.
“When I saw Kamala give her speech, I cried,” said Daeline Brown, a third-year journalism major from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “She even shouted out black women. We never get the applause that we deserve, so I love her for that,” she finished.
A lot of students were nervous throughout the week after election day due to the electoral votes fluctuating so much and the counts moving so slowly. After the news spread about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris surpassing the 270 electoral votes needed, they felt a sense of relief knowing they wouldn’t have four more years of Trump.
The Hampton Script 