A celebration continued on Black Lives Matter Plaza Sunday. News4’s Darcy Spencer spoke to demonstrators about what the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris means to them.
Washington, D.C.'s Black Lives Matter Plaza is still full of happy supporters of President-elect Joe Biden a day after his projected win.
People visited the plaza just north of the White House on Sunday to take it all in. The mood was one of optimism and joy. Many people had young children and pets in tow.
"I really wanted to share this experience with my daughter. I think it's a really important time in history and just also for her to just experience what's going on today," one woman told News4.
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"It's very empowering, and it speaks … to young Black people that we can really do anything," an alumna of Howard University said.
Back at Black Lives Matter Plaza this morning. People are starting to come out. The weather is great... and someone is even blaring Christmas music from their car. A live report coming up at 9:30 and 10. @nbcwashingtonpic.twitter.com/GkinbMgNoW
Biden supporters flocked to Black Lives Matter Plaza on Saturday to cheer, dance and pop champagne. Revelers waved flags, sang and rang bells.
(Photo by ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
A woman waves a Joe Biden flag as people celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington, DC on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. – Democrat Joe Biden has won the White House, US media said November 7, defeating Donald Trump and ending a presidency that convulsed American politics, shocked the world and left the United States more divided than at any time in decades. (Photo by Alex Edelman / AFP) (Photo by ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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A family showing their support for Biden/Harris in downtown D.C.
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Champagne sales are brisk this afternoon at Rodman’s in Northwest D.C., a manager said. One shopper was decked out in a pink cap featuring the logo of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, of which Kamala Harris is a member.
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Champagne sales are brisk this afternoon at Rodman’s in Northwest D.C., a manager said. One shopper was decked out in a pink cap featuring the logo of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, of which Kamala Harris is a member.
(Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA – NOVEMBER 7, 2020: A Donald Trump inflatable is seen in a street after the media announcement that Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden has won the 2020 US presidential election. CNN, NBC and AP project Biden to win the US presidential election as he has surpassed the 270 electoral votes. Yegor Aleyev/TASS (Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
(Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington, DC on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. – Democrat Joe Biden has won the White House, US media said November 7, defeating Donald Trump and ending a presidency that convulsed American politics, shocked the world and left the United States more divided than at any time in decades. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP)
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Howard University students and alumni celebrate alum Kamala Harris’ projected win.
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Howard University students and alumni celebrate alum Kamala Harris’ projected win.
(Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington, DC, on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. – Democrat Joe Biden has won the White House, US media said November 7, defeating Donald Trump and ending a presidency that convulsed American politics, shocked the world and left the United States more divided than at any time in decades. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington, DC, on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. – Democrat Joe Biden has won the White House, US media said November 7, defeating Donald Trump and ending a presidency that convulsed American politics, shocked the world and left the United States more divided than at any time in decades. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza in Washington, DC on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by Daniel SLIM / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington, DC on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. – Democrat Joe Biden has won the White House, US media said November 7, defeating Donald Trump and ending a presidency that convulsed American politics, shocked the world and left the United States more divided than at any time in decades. (Photo by Alex Edelman / AFP) (Photo by ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza in Washington, DC on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by Daniel SLIM / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)
NBC Washington
A look at Black Lives Matter Plaza on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020 after Joe Biden was projected to become president.
(Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA – NOVEMBER 7, 2020: People react as media announce that Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden has won the 2020 US presidential election in McPherson Square. CNN, NBC and AP project Biden to win the election as he has surpassed the 270 electoral votes. Yegor Aleyev/TASS (Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
(Photo by ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
A woman holds a sign reading “The Nightmare is Over” as people celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington, DC on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. – Democrat Joe Biden has won the White House, US media said November 7, defeating Donald Trump and ending a presidency that convulsed American politics, shocked the world and left the United States more divided than at any time in decades. (Photo by Alex Edelman / AFP) (Photo by ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate in Washington, DC on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate in Washington, DC on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate in Washington, DC on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate in Washington, DC on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate in Washington, DC on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate in Washington, DC on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A demonstrator holds a sign that reads “Trump Is Over” during a rally near the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, Nov. 6, 2020. Democrat Joe Biden has taken the lead in Pennsylvania over President Donald Trump, putting him on the cusp of victory in the presidential race. Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Mark Segraves, News4
Cheers erupt in apartment buildings in D.C.
(Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA – NOVEMBER 7, 2020: People react as media announce that Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden has won the 2020 US presidential election during a rally for a fair vote count in the 2020 US presidential election in McPherson Square. CNN, NBC and AP project Biden to win the election as he has surpassed the 270 electoral votes. Yegor Aleyev/TASS (Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
(Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington, DC on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. – Democrat Joe Biden has won the White House, US media said November 7, defeating Donald Trump and ending a presidency that convulsed American politics, shocked the world and left the United States more divided than at any time in decades. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA – NOVEMBER 7, 2020: DC Congresswoman Eleanor Norton Holmes speaks during a rally for a fair vote count in the 2020 US presidential election in McPherson Square. CNN, NBC and AP project Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden to win the US presidential election as he has surpassed the 270 electoral votes. Yegor Aleyev/TASS (Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
(Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington, DC, on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. – Democrat Joe Biden has won the White House, US media said November 7, defeating Donald Trump and ending a presidency that convulsed American politics, shocked the world and left the United States more divided than at any time in decades. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP)
(Photo by ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington, DC on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. – Democrat Joe Biden has won the White House, US media said November 7, defeating Donald Trump and ending a presidency that convulsed American politics, shocked the world and left the United States more divided than at any time in decades. (Photo by Alex Edelman / AFP)
(Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington, DC, on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. – Democrat Joe Biden has won the White House, US media said November 7, defeating Donald Trump and ending a presidency that convulsed American politics, shocked the world and left the United States more divided than at any time in decades. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington, DC, on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. – Democrat Joe Biden has won the White House, US media said November 7, defeating Donald Trump and ending a presidency that convulsed American politics, shocked the world and left the United States more divided than at any time in decades. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP)
(Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA – NOVEMBER 7, 2020: A man reacts as media announce that Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden has won the 2020 US presidential election during a rally for a fair vote count in the 2020 US presidential election in McPherson Square. CNN, NBC and AP project Biden to win the election as he has surpassed the 270 electoral votes. Yegor Aleyev/TASS
(Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA – NOVEMBER 7, 2020: A man holds US flags after the media announcement that Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden has won the 2020 US presidential election, in a street. CNN, NBC and AP project Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden to win the US presidential election as he has surpassed the 270 electoral votes. Yegor Aleyev/TASS
(Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington, DC, on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. – Democrat Joe Biden has won the White House, US media said November 7, defeating Donald Trump and ending a presidency that convulsed American politics, shocked the world and left the United States more divided than at any time in decades. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP)
(Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington, DC, on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. – Democrat Joe Biden has won the White House, US media said November 7, defeating Donald Trump and ending a presidency that convulsed American politics, shocked the world and left the United States more divided than at any time in decades. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP)
(Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA – NOVEMBER 7, 2020: A man celebrates in a street after the media announcement that Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden has won the 2020 US presidential election. CNN, NBC and AP project Biden to win the US presidential election as he has surpassed the 270 electoral votes. Yegor Aleyev/TASS (Photo by Yegor AleyevTASS via Getty Images)
(Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
People celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington, DC on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. – Democrat Joe Biden has won the White House, US media said November 7, defeating Donald Trump and ending a presidency that convulsed American politics, shocked the world and left the United States more divided than at any time in decades. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images
A man waves a Biden flag as people celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington, DC on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. – Joyous celebrations erupted in Washington on Saturday after Joe Biden was declared winner of the US presidency, as several people poured into the streets of the US capital — some of them chanting, cheering and singing in front of the White House. (Photo by Olivier DOULIERY / AFP) (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)
Visitors to D.C. from Florida learned Biden had won when their plane touched down.
“When we got off the plane, they said, ‘Hey! We have a new president. Wooo!’” a woman in Black Lives Matter Plaza said.
Before the election, downtown D.C. businesses braced themselves for potential unrest and boarded up their windows. Interim Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development John Falcicchio asked businesses on Sunday morning to take the boards down.
“As we thank the @DCDPW @DowntownDCBID @GoldenTriDC crews for cleaning up after yesterday’s spontaneous celebration on/around #BlackLivesMatter Plaza, we ask all businesses and property owners across the District to remove any boards or fencing put up last week,” he wrote on Twitter.
President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris delivered their first remarks following their projected victory in the 2020 election.
Referencing political and cultural division in America, Biden said he would be a president for all Americans, whether or not they voted for him.
"For all of you who voted for President Trump, I understand the disappointment. I’ve lost a couple elections myself. But now let’s give each other a chance," Biden said. "We have to stop treating our opponents as our enemies. They are not our enemies. They are Americans."
Trump is not expected to ever formally concede, according to people close to him, but is likely to grudgingly vacate the White House at the end of his term. His ongoing efforts to paint the election as unfair are seen both as an effort to soothe a bruised ego and to show his loyal base of supporters that he is still fighting. That could be key to keeping them energized for what comes next.
Supporters of Joe Biden celebrated his presidential win late into Saturday night in Black Lives Matter Plaza. They drummed, danced and banged a gong. “It’s important for me to be here tonight because I’m witnessing the American democratic people exercising their right to party,” a man told News4’s Shomari Stone.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
