Vice President Kamala Harris receives roar of approval in college visit; anti-abortion students turn out to protest

The room erupted in thunderous applause after U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes welcomed Vice President Kamala Harris onto the stage Wednesday at Central Connecticut State University.

Harris joined Hayes and Planned Parenthood CEO and President Alexis McGill Johnson to discuss the federal action that is being taken to defend access to reproductive care in the nation.

CCSU students and local community leaders loudly cheered as the vice president walked onto the stage at Davidson Hall.

Student Mia Deantris said she was excited to see the moment, especially as a member of one of the local chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha, which is the same sorority of which Harris is a member.

“The representation is probably the best part. Just seeing somebody that looks like me in a position of power and having her come to my school and give a speech is surreal,” Deantris said.

Others who heard Harris’ speech also shared the same excitement and sentiment.

Attendee Babz Rawls-Ivy of New Haven said that the conversation with the vice president was good to hear.

“All this Black girl power, are you kidding me? It was good, it was a necessary conversation. It’s a conversation that we need to be having in this country. Women should have agency over their body and the government shouldn’t be telling us what to do with it,” Rawls-Ivy said.

UConn student Melissa Wi said she found out about the event through her internship and came away from the event feeling hopeful about the future.

“I’ve never been in a room with this many important people, these many lawmakers. I’m just so grateful that I got this experience,” she said.

“I’m glad that we have [Harris] as vice president. I don’t think anyone’s more qualified to you know, you know, fight for the right [of] abortion justice,” Wi said. “We’re going in the right direction. We have a good leader.

“So hopefully, since we have good leaders, things all turn out okay, eventually. With Roe v Wade being overturned, it’s scary right now, but hearing what she had to say kind of gave me a little bit of hope for the future,” she said.

While many were excited for the arrival of the vice president, others hoped that she would see their signs for pro-life, as they said the hold the belief that abortion is wrong.

Protestor Connie Ferreira said that she believes that the vice president was sending the wrong message to CCSU students.

“She’s sending the wrong message to these students here…Abortion is not life. She should be doing the right thing for her people. The Black babies, they are being aborted, Why? Why (are) any babies being aborted? All these beautiful children here, she’s going on here telling them that it’s for health. Abortion does nothing for health. It does nothing for a woman, does nothing for her health,” she said.

Marcelina Halas, a New Britain native who is a sophomore political science major at the university, said the Dobbs decision was positive because it returned the issue of abortion to the states. “We are not protesting anyone’s presence on the campus,’’ Halas said in an interview. “But we are protesting abortion...We might be the silent majority, but we’re there, and we want to show that.’’

Halas, who plans to attend law school, serves as president of a group on campus of both economic and social conservatives who believe in free speech. “This issue is bigger than Kamala Harris,’’ she said. “It’s bigger than the president of Planned Parenthood and Jahana Hayes. This is about the fundamental right to life.’’

CCSU student Eliza Harris said that she was here to protest the vice president’s conversation on reproductive rights on campus, as she believes that life begins at conception.

“We heard that Vice President Kamala Harris was coming here two days ago. We didn’t know before that. So, we’re here protesting against her conversation today for reproductive rights or that’s what she calls it. We believe that life begins at conception,” she said, “And that humans no matter what age, race, [or] gender deserve the same love and compassion that everyone has. So, we’re just here to show her that we love people and that we want her to love us like we love each other.”

She said Harris had “a constitutional right to be here. We’re just protesting the issue of debate, women’s reproductive rights, abortion.”