STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

WATCH: Kamala Harris Call A COVID Frontline Nurse On Thanksgiving

The Vice President-elect had a few kind words for a registered nurse on Thanksgiving Day.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris shared a few warm words on Thanksgiving Day with someone who needed them the most. 

Harris picked up the phone to thank Talisa Hardin, a registered nurse in Chicago, for her work during the coronavirus pandemic. 

“I know it’s personal for you, and I know that it requires mental and emotional and physical and spiritual energy and power that you give to it, so thank you,” Harris can be heard telling Hardin in a video Bonnie Castillo, executive director of National Nurses Union (NNU), posted to Facebook. 

RELATED: Why Kamala Harris Becoming Vice President Is Such A Historical Landmark

The VP-elect shared the heartwarming moment on her Instagram as well.

“I wanted to see you to say Happy Thanksgiving!,” Harris said during their facetime call. “And just for everything you do every day, I’ve been reading about you and just all that you do in service of so many people.” 

CNN reports that Harris reportedly spoke to Hardin about the Defense Production Act, which is a 1950 law that could speed up the process of giving more resources and supplies to medical staff on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Castillo. 

RELATED: 5 Ways You Can Support Black Essential and Frontline Workers During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Hardin, who works at the University of Chicago Medical Center, previously testified to the House Oversight Committee in May as a member of the NNU and the medical center. In her testimony, she explained that management at her center consistently refused to provide nurses with proper PPE to avoid exposure and infection to the coronavirus.

"As a nurse, it was deeply disappointing to listen to hospital attorneys, people who have zero experience with medical or nursing care, refuse to listen to health care professionals in their hospital. Management was consistently condescending and patronizing to our nurses," Hardin said.

The RN says that lack of immediate resources is increasing the risk of medical staff getting infected with the virus and spreading it to their families. 

"When I come home every day, I live in fear of contracting the virus," Hardin told Congress.

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.