Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta VoiceTelevision mogul, actress, and entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey took the stage in support of United States President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last month. On Thursday night she returned to the national stage, this time during a virtual rally alongside Harris in a televised and streamed virtual rally. A watch party that featured Harris’ “New Way Forward” plan took place in downtown Atlanta on Decatur Street. Harris will return to Atlanta on Friday for a scheduled rally at the Cobb Galleria Centre, one of metro Atlanta’s largest multi-purpose facilities. Dozens of supporters filled the campaign office to watch a flatscreen television and eat pizza. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice The virtual rally took place in Oakland County, Michigan, a key county in a key battleground state. Celebrities like Chris Rock, Jennifer Lopez, Bryan Cranston, Julia Roberts, Ben Stiller, and Traci Ellis Ross all checked in virtually. “We are all here for one cause, to unite the vote,” Winfrey said. “Values are on the line in this election.”When Harris took the stage a roar came from the crowd at the virtual rally, which included men and women of various races. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice“This is so much bigger than me, it’s about America,” Harris said. “There were several guests in the room, including Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who spoke on behalf of Harris.  During the virtual rally, there were also two Georgia families – Natalie, Matilda, and Doug Griffiths and CJ Williams, Andrika Thuman, and Shanette Williams – shared their stories.Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta VoiceCJ Williams, Andrika Thuman, and Shanette Williams were in attendance to share their story of loss. They are the sisters and mother, respectively, of Amber Thurman, who died of septic shock after waiting for the abortion care she needed in 2022. Amber waited 20 hours to get the help that she ultimately did not receive.Williams, Amber’s mother, said she wanted to share their story tonight, because “Amber is not a statistic. She was loved.” Natalie Griffith was shot and severely injured during the mass shooting at Apalachee High School. She is currently in recovery, and the three of them appeared at the event to tell their story.In the last 25 years there have been more than 400 school shootings in the United States.“This is not normal, y’all, and this is not right,” Winfrey said. “We as Americans have to do better. Lives are being destroyed.”The event was an hour and a half in length and afterwards some of the people that watched shared why they were invested in the Harris-Walz ticket.Former Emory Midtown nurse Davita Hughes-Wyne spoke of how she can’t go back to what took place during the first Trump administration. “We cannot go back to having a leader in place that performed like he did during Covid,” she told The Atlanta Voice. “We have to see something different and for a split second I was losing hope, but Kamala harris brings the type of hope I needed to see.” Trisha Valentine said she was looking forward to this election. “It’s now or never,” she said. “I want it to be undeniable, I want it be a mad sweep.” The post Kamala Harris and Oprah Winfrey Unite for virtual rally appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.