Chicago, Aug 23 (PTI) Promising that she will be a president who unites the people of the country, Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday said that the upcoming presidential election is a chance to chart a new way forward, not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans.

Harris, 59, is the first ever Indian-American and Black woman to be nominated as presidential candidate of the either Democratic or Republican parties.

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"With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past. A chance to chart a new way forward. Not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans," Harris said in the excerpts of her nomination acceptance speech Thursday night.

“I know there are people of various political views watching tonight. And I want you to know: I promise to be a president for all Americans...,' she said.

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"I will be a president who unites us around our highest aspirations. A president who leads -- and listens. Who is realistic. Practical. And has common sense. And always fights for the American people. From the courthouse to the White House, that has been my life's work,” Harris said.

Recalling an incident when she was in high school, Harris said she started to notice something about her best friend Wanda. “She was sad at school. And there were times she didn't want to go home,” said the vice president.

“So, one day, I asked if everything was alright. And she confided in me that she was being sexually abused by her step-father. And I immediately told her she had to come stay with us. And she did,” she said.

"That is one of the reasons I became a prosecutor. To protect people like Wanda," Harris said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)