Quantcast

Many supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris were disappointed, distraught, and even angry at the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, and when she finally conceded to Donald Trump a day after Election Day, there was an air of distress, deflated hope, and plans to turn to radical self-care in the aftermath.

Onlookers at Howard University, where Harris gave her concession speech, were in tears, with many offering bittersweet gestures of support to a woman they believed would not only make history but shift the landscape in a positive direction for women and other marginalized people in America.


Cardi B, who endorsed Harris, said she felt "really sad" after Trump's win and, in an Instagram Live, added, “I swear to God, I’m gonna f**k you up. Get away from me! I’m sick of you!” referring to Trump supporters.

The Aftermath of Kamala Harris' Loss

Supporters react as Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris concedes the election during a speech at Howard University on November 6, 2024, in Washington, DC.

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Shavon Arline-Bradley, president and CEO of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), told The Guardian that Harris’s campaign of inclusion and strong support from the Democrats’ most loyal voting block – Black women – could not withstand “the wall of white nationalism and racism and classism and sexism and misogyny.”

Another woman told the publication that when she “woke up on 6 November and saw that Trump had won the election,” she was “disgusted, disappointed, just annoyed, really annoyed.”

While feelings of disgust, annoyance, fear, anger, and anxiety might be quite justified considering the contentious nature of Trump’s campaign, his felonious background, his statements on foreign policy, and the violent behavior of his supporters, there are key lessons from Harris’ loss that can we all can be inspired by.

As Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first woman elected to become president of an African nation, wrote for AllAfrica.com, “Seeing Kamala on the campaign trail, strong and resilient, gave girls and women everywhere a vision of what's possible. Her journey reminded us all that setbacks don't define you; they shape you.”

“This campaign has shown that even when the ultimate goal is just out of reach, the courage to try again matters. Women are ready, willing, and more than capable. The path may be tough, but it is also wide open.”

Here are a few more reasons Harris’s loss shows the power of failure and how we can learn more from a failure than from success:

1. ​Failure builds resilience unlike any win could.

Oftentimes, tying the word “resilient” to Black women can seem like a problematic broken record, but the truth remains that resilience is a vital trait for leaders in business.

As actress, producer, and entrepreneur Issa Rae has said, “You didn’t fail. You’re still alive. Are you stopping? … You have an opportunity to continue. … I grow and I get better.” Before producing and starring in HBO’s Insecure, she’d taken a break from college to pursue shopping a script in Hollywood and going for that full-time and failed.

That was at least 20 years ago. She’d press on to launch her own YouTube show that later morphed into a top-rated iconic HBO drama. She and the Hoorae Media team have brought several other scripts to screen, with Rap Sh!t, A Black Lady Sketch Show, and Sweet Life: Los Angeles, to name a few.

2. ​Failure allows us to exercise our ability to pivot, innovate, and incorporate new strategies and approaches. 

One good and pivotal example of this is Oprah Winfrey’s foray into launching a network. According to the Los Angeles Times, she famously said, “A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness,” a key notion when, during the early days of launching her network, the ratings were tanking. OWN just didn’t offer what was marketable or competitive at the time.

The network adjusted its offerings, adding reality TV and celebrity-focused programming as part of a larger plan to compete in the market. Today, it’s seen record ratings quarters and continues to offer top shows like Queen Sugar, Belle Collective, and the Love & Marriage franchise.

When the Lip Bar founder Melissa Butler appeared on Shark Tank in 2025, all five investors rejected her idea, calling the lipsticks “clown makeup” and “colorful cockroaches.” Butler took one of the judge’s more constructive feedback, becoming the face of the business, and more than a decade later, the brand is a multi-million-dollar company with an expanded line of cosmetics sold in large retailers like Ulta Beauty and Target.

3. ​Failure prompts a bold humility that allows for authentic connection with others and better servant leadership.

Oprah has also said, after Beloved was noted as a “flop” by her agent at the time, “It taught me to never again–never again, ever–put all of your hopes, expectations, eggs in the basket of box office. Do the work as an offering, and then whatever happens, happens.”

The best leaders know that they’re not the smartest in the room, must sometimes lean on and help others in order to truly be great in their role, and that humility is a quality that leads to sustainable success.

Think about these words from another woman who is a clear leader in her lane: “I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall,” tennis champion and investor Serena Williams told The National. “I have fallen several times. Each time I just get up and dust myself off and I pray, and I’m able to do better or I’m able to get back to the level that I want to be on.”

What Could Be Next For Kamala 

While there are no confirmed reports of Harris’ plans once she’s officially out of office in a few months, there are many options for further civic involvement, advocacy, legislative change, and even another run in 2028. One expert points to the fact that the previous candidate, John Kerry, lost and came back as a cabinet member in the Barack Obama administration.

(It’s also worth noting that Shirley Chisholm, the first Black candidate to seek a major party's nomination for President of the United States, and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, continued serving in the House of Representatives after an unsuccessful bid for the nomination. In 1977, she was elected as Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus.)

Other experts say there’s the option of running for Congress or governor to make an impact in those roles. She could also start her own law firm or serve in other ways within the private sector.

If Harris is holding to the values and drive she exhibited in the 107 days she had to campaign for U.S. president, this isn’t quite the end for her legacy, and this so-called “failure” will only be a catalyst for an even greater movement toward service and advancement.

Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.

Featured image by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

 

RELATED

 
ALSO ON XONECOLE
Aries-April-2025-monthly-horoscopes

April is a month to slow down and to fully grasp what has been. The month starts in fiery Aries Season, but we are also in the thick of Retrograde Season as we begin the month as well. Thankfully, Mercury finally goes direct on April 7, after being retrograde mid-March, and communication matters are clearing up. This is a month of mental clarity, a fresh start, and not being afraid to dream a little bigger.

On April 12, there is a Full Moon in Libra, and this Full Moon brings relationship and financial matters full circle. This is the time to let go of what doesn’t make you feel balanced or in harmony and to create space for more peace to enter your life. Venus goes direct in Pisces on the same day, after being retrograde since March 1, and love is healing. With Venus now direct, there are more opportunities for commitment and longevity in love, and there is overall a greater feeling of romance, receptivity, and compassion in the air now.

KEEP READINGShow less
Turns Out Sober Sex Might Be The Underrated Secret To Better Orgasms

Hmph. I know there has got to be at least three times a week when our grandparents will hear about something that folks present as being revolutionary that causes them to just roll their eyes, shrug their shoulders, and continue to go on with whatever they were doing. Listen, call it old-fashioned thinking if you want to but if you want to avoid a lot of unnecessary regret in this life, hang out with your elders (and actually listen to what they are saying) sometimes — they’ve already been where you are and, since when it comes to them, you can’t say the same, you just might get a few gems (in fact, I can almost guarantee it).

Take sobergasms, for instance. Oh, I’m willing to bet that a senior in your life has mentioned them, just in another way, before. If you’ve never heard of the term, it’s actually a pretty good one because it means just what you think it does: SOBER ORGASMS. And just to make sure that we all are on the same page, it’s sex — that hopefully includes orgasms — that involves very little to no alcohol.

KEEP READINGShow less
LATEST POSTS