Vice President Kamala Harris Calls for “American Revival” at Arkansas Democratic Party’s 2026 Fisher Shackelford Dinner

Arkansas Democratic Party honored the legacy's of Jimmie Lou Fisher & Lottie Shackelford; Mayor Frank Scott Jr. presents Key to the City and Sen. Jamie Scott awards the Arkansas Traveler to Vice President Kamala Harris

LITTLE ROCK - Vice President Kamala Harris delivered the keynote address at the Democratic Party of Arkansas's 2026 Fisher Shackelford Dinner Saturday evening at the Wally Allen Ballroom of the Little Rock Convention Center, calling on Democrats to lead an "American revival" rooted in economic fairness, civic renewal, and accountability for what she described as "the most callous, corrupt, and incompetent presidential administration in the history of our country."

Speaking to a packed ballroom, the Vice President framed the current political moment as both an indictment of long-failing systems and a call to organize. "When we feel powerless, we are powerless. But when we feel powerful, we are powerful," Harris said. "The fight for our country, the fight for our future, is going to require more than one good election night."

Harris took aim at the Trump administration's tariff policy and tax bill - "$1 trillion in tax cuts to the richest people while cutting $1 trillion from health care for working people" - and at state-level Republican governance, noting that Arkansas remains "the only state in the nation" that won't extend Medicaid to cover postpartum care for a full year. She cited the recent Broadway Bridge march in Little Rock, where "thousands marched … standing shoulder to shoulder, neighbor to neighbor, declaring in one united voice, the people will not back down, the people will not stay silent, and the people have no king."

The Vice President's keynote built to a refrain that drew the night's loudest response: "When we fight, we win."

Earlier in the day, Harris visited the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site and Museum with Mayor Frank Scott Jr., where she met with Elizabeth Eckford, one of the Little Rock Nine. Mayor Scott presented Harris with the Key to the City of Little Rock during the dinner program, telling her, "You represent the essence of America."

State Senator Jamie Scott presented Harris with the Arkansas Traveler Award, one of the state's highest honors for hospitality and friendship. "Madam Vice President, thank you for your extraordinary leadership, your unwavering commitment to the people of the nation," Sen. Scott said.

DPA Vice Chair Jannie Cotton, who led the months-long effort to bring Harris to Arkansas, introduced the Vice President. "Tonight I am proud to introduce to you a truth-teller, a glass-breaker, the epitome of a woman of excellence, a seed-sower, a wife, a sister, a trailblazer, and definitely a winner," Cotton said.

Harris returned the moment from the stage: "Jannie, let me just say to you in front of everyone here - it is because you reached out in the spirit with which you did, and the hard work that you put into making this so easy for me to be here tonight, that I'm here. And I thank you."

The 2026 Fisher Shackelford Dinner honored three Arkansas Democratic women: Addie Jones, the 22-year-old founder of Bright Beginnings Books and rebuilder of the University of Arkansas Young Democrats chapter; Debrah Mitchell, longtime president of the Arkansas Democratic Black Caucus and a 2024 DNC delegate and whip; and State Representative Tippi McCullough of District 74, the first openly LGBTQ+ House Minority Leader in Arkansas history. The dinner is named for the late former State Treasurer Jimmie Lou Fisher and former Little Rock Mayor and DNC Vice Chair Lottie Shackelford, both of whom Harris recognized at length from the stage.

Arkansas Chair Colonel Marcus Jones (U.S. Army, Ret.) closed the program with a charge to the room to carry the night's energy into the 2026 cycle.

The full video of the event can be found here. Please credit the Democratic Party of Arkansas.

Contact: Micah Wallace, [email protected] , 501-539-9987