BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- The family of Ruth Whitfield feels a new excitement with Vice President Kamala Harris being endorsed for the Democratic presidential nominee following President Joe Biden's decision to drop out of the race Sunday.
Harris attended Ruth's funeral after she was killed in the Tops mass shooting.
Garnell Whitfield, Ruth's son, said he and his family are very happy and excited about the decision to put Harris on the path to be the nominee for the Democrats, given the concerns Biden showed in his campaign.
"I'm very, very excited about this opportunity not just for her, but for the country," Garnell said. "This is an opportunity for women and people of color to take their rightful place in the leadership of not only this country, because when you're talking about the president of the United States, you're talking about the world."
Whitfield said he, like many, had deep concerns on whether Biden was the best candidate for the Democrats and that the switch to Harris could lead to changes in the status quo.
"She's of my generation," Garnell said. "I'm excited about that, with a different perspective that is willing to look at the systems because these systems, many of them were set up to do just what they're doing, which is to exclude."
Harris is a familiar face to the Whitfield family. She attended Ruth's memorial service following the Tops mass shooting and spoke against hate.
"So I'm here to say that we are all in this together. No one should ever be made to fight alone," Harris said at the time. "We are stronger than those who would try to hurt us."
Before leaving Buffalo, Harris called for a ban on assault weapons.
The Whitfields felt embraced by VP Harris.
"Her being here, attending my mother's memorial service and showing her genuine empathy and concern for my family, myself, for all of our families, for us as a people, that was for me a game changer," Garnell said.
The vice president also visited the site of the mass shooting. She then returned to Buffalo several months later to speak at University at Buffalo's North Campus about the Inflation Reduction Act, where WIVB News 4 spoke to Harris in an exclusive interview. During that interview, Harris discussed pulling together federal resources to address hate.
Garnell said he wants to join Harris' campaign and defeat Donald Trump.
"All I know is we can't afford for her not to win, all I know is the alternative is unacceptable to me," Garnell said. "He's [in referring to Donald Trump] evil, incarnate, he's an idiot, but he's a dangerous idiot and he's a more dangerous idiot with power, so he should never have power, he should've never had it in the first place."
Garnell said he gets periodic updates from the Biden-Harris Administration, not only on an emotional level, but also on gun reform legislation, which the Whitfields have been fighting for.
Jeff Preval is an award-winning anchor and reporter who joined the News 4 team in December 2021. See more of his work here.
