High-profile praise was lavished on a Thousand Oaks Elementary School 5th grader on Wed., Aug. 30, following her impressive performance leading the Pledge of Allegiance at a large Town Hall meeting held by U.S. Senator Kamala Harris.
Appearing poised on stage before about 700 people at Beebe Memorial Cathedral in Oakland, 5th grader Isabella Sinclair led the Pledge in a clear, unfaltering tone appropriate for the occasion. The audience joined in as she recited first in English and then listened as she repeated the Pledge in Spanish.
Her performance elicited enthusiastic appreciation from the audience, quickly followed by a response from Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, who had introduced Isabella:
“Obviously a person we’ve got to keep our eye on – probably looking at maybe a future President of the United States!”
Senator Harris followed, beginning her talk with reference to Isabella: “Can we start by giving a warm round of applause to Isabella? I am so proud of you! I am so proud.”
“And I started at Thousand Oaks, so look where you’re going to end up!” the Senator added with a laugh. “That’s so wonderful, so wonderful.”
Isabella was selected by the school for the honor after Harris’ office requested that a student from Thousand Oaks, which the Senator attended, lead the Pledge.
Harris’ remarks at the Town Hall, particularly her endorsement of single-payer healthcare, drew widespread media coverage, including the following:
Washington Post: Sen. Kamala Harris backs Bernie Sanders’s single-payer bill
CNN: Kamala Harris to co-sponsor Bernie Sanders’ single-payer health care bill
CBS News: Kamala Harris says she’ll co-sponsor single-payer health care bill
San Francisco Chronicle: Sen. Harris urges Californians to keep fighting Trump administration