Vice President Kamala Harris made her first campaign appearance with Barack Obama, delivering closing arguments aimed at black voters in the eastern suburbs of Atlanta, a vibrant, iconic part of Georgia.

“We are fighting for the future,” Harris said at the rally in Clarkston. She touched on familiar themes – reducing the cost of medicine, housing and food. “I come from a middle class background and will never forget where I come from.

Harris said she believes “health care should be a right, not just a privilege, for those who can afford it,” and said Trump would repeal the Affordable Care Act and roll back the $35 cap on insulin.

The Democratic candidate also reiterated her support for abortion rights, citing the death of Amber Nicole Thurman, a Georgia woman whose death was recently determined to be a result of the state's abortion ban. Harris said: “Donald Trump still refuses to acknowledge the pain and suffering he has caused…Women are being denied miscarriage care.”

Pollsters and commentators suggest that the Harris campaign has lost support among black male voters. That claim doesn't have much credibility among Democratic activists, who say conservatives are exaggerating irregularities in the polls for political reasons.

“I don’t think a significant majority will vote for people like Donald Trump,” said Rev. Raphael Warnock, the Democratic senator from Georgia, recounting Trump’s history of racial discrimination and public acts of bigotry. He said: “We are not a monolith. There will be some…but we know who Donald Trump is. We are not confused.”

Still, the Harris campaign has more specifically targeted its messaging toward black voters in recent days. Harris said she rejects the idea that her ethnicity entitles her to black votes.

Obama directed his ire at Trump, criticizing him for his pandemic failures, his general incompetence and for, in the words of Trump's former service members, wishing his general officers were more like Hitler's.

Trump's erratic behavior has “become so commonplace that people no longer take it seriously. Just because he acts silly doesn't mean his presidency isn't dangerous.”

The campaign has captured the attention of Black stars in recent days, bringing together actor Samuel L. Jackson and directors Spike Lee and Tyler Perry to warm up audiences.

“This is where I found the American dream,” Perry said, talking about how Atlanta supported his rise from poverty to success. He spent time homeless, trying to raise enough money to stay in long-stay hotels on Buford Highway, just a few miles from the stadium.

Perry, now a multimillionaire, owns much of the former Fort McPherson, which he says was once a Confederate military base. “We come in all shapes, sizes and colors. But we are one.”

Bruce Springsteen also performed an acoustic performance of “Promised Land,” “Land of Hopes and Dreams” and “Dancing in the Dark” before Obama and Harris spoke.

“Donald Trump is running as an American tyrant,” Springsteen said.

The city of Clarkston is often referred to as the most diverse square mile in America. Because it is a central location for refugee resettlement, women from Iraq wearing abayas are often seen walking to the store alongside Nepalese immigrants, while children from Haiti and Somalia at the gas station across the street from James R .Buy a Coke at Hallford Stadium. where the rally filled its capacity of 15,000 seats. According to the Harris campaign, 20,000 people were in attendance.

“Fifty different countries are represented here among the people of this district. These are hard-working people. They are our brothers and sisters,” said Congressman Hank Johnson, who represents the city. “You are who we are. They are part of the fabric of America.”

Although Clarkston has experienced a historic revival in recent years, this area of ​​DeKalb County continues to struggle for economic growth. The city is surrounded by first and second decile poverty areas. Memorial Drive, once a thriving business district, is the effective dividing line between the thriving multiracial towns of northern DeKalb County and the majority-black, economically disadvantaged southern half of the county.

“The population of Clarkston is important,” Jacquelyn Smith, a Clarkston resident, said at the rally. “I’ve seen little black girls here who will never see anything like this again.”

Smith spoke of parking on the way to the rally on Robert E. Lee Boulevard in Stone Mountain, which was named after the Confederate general and commemorated in Stone Mountain Park, the largest remaining Confederate monument in America. She said, “We have come such a long way.”

About 584,000 Georgians are naturalized citizens, the largest share among the eight swing states. About one in six Georgians in the Atlanta area were born outside the United States. Naturalized citizens tend to have lower voter turnout, and voter turnout in Georgia will be crucial.

Early voting represents a historic turning point in Georgia: nearly a third of Georgians have already cast their ballot. Some counties have already exceeded the 50% voter turnout threshold. The Harris campaign has sent out text messages specifically asking every supporter in the state to volunteer door knocking or phone banking for two hours.

“This man is not good news, bad news and it is up to us to stop him,” said Senator Jon Ossoff, who joined others today in calling the sacrifices of the late famed Congressman John Lewis a call to action. “John Lewis bled on that bridge so we could rise to this moment,” he said.