Energizing. Electrifying. Empowering. Three words to describe what it felt like to attend the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois— a city rich in Black history and the home of Emmett Till, Ida B. Wells, and Michelle Obama.
It was surreal to be a part of history in nominating the first Black and Asian woman as President of the United States. Vice President Kamala Harris, like many Black women before her, is a trailblazer—defying the odds set up against her as the daughter of an Indian mother and Jamaican father, both of whom immigrated to the United States to pursue what our country proudly touts: the American Dream, the land of opportunity, the country where anyone can achieve anything.
Well, in less than 80 days, we, the people, can make that a reality; not only for Vice President Kamala Harris, but for women and girls of color, for immigrants, for those watching across the world, and for you and me.
As I reflect on my experience as one of 110 elected national delegates representing Washington state, I’m reminded that my ability to stand here today is a direct result of the struggles and sacrifices made by those who came before me. Their fight for justice laid the groundwork for my participation in this historic moment.
In 1964, one such trailblazer, Fannie Lou Hamer, gave a live-broadcasted, gut-wrenching testimony at the Democratic National Convention about the violence she and other Black citizens of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party suffered— all for attempting to exercise their right to vote— courageously exposing the hypocrisy of this country for the world to see.
During her testimony, President Lyndon B. Johnson, who had signed the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination in public places, into law just weeks prior, succumbed to white fragility when he pulled Hamer’s testimony off the air to divert attention from America’s racist actions. Yet, despite this unsuccessful attempt to thwart the efforts of the MFDP, risking their lives to secure representation for Black citizens of the United States, Hamer’s testimony was later broadcasted for the entire world to see; its effects reverberating through the consciousness of all.
In addition to Hamer’s powerfully vulnerable and vivid personal account of the dehumanizing disregard of Black citizens in the United States, Ella Baker, fellow activist, and coordinator of the MFDP, wrote a letter to convention delegates imploring them to seat members of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party as delegates a part of the state’s existing Democratic Party.
Because of the efforts of Hamer, Baker, and the many others, both known and unknown, who lost their lives to the freedom struggle, Black delegates were permitted to partake in the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Though the number was small, only two delegates, it paved the way for today’s representation of Black citizens to nominate the first Black woman to be President of the United States.
Despite this momentous win secured 60 years ago, Black citizens of the United States still fight for equality. Through current voter suppression efforts led by extremists diseasing the Republican Party, policy has been implemented to take the United States of America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, back to the Jim Crow era and even back to slavery— dark, violent times in our nation’s history— where state and federally sanctioned violence tried to stifle the spirit of our African ancestors and prevent our sweet excellence from making this country, the country that we built, truly embody the very ideals that make us great.
These voter suppression efforts mirror the Jim Crow era by causing voting and voting registration to be inaccessible. This is happening through the passing of ludicrous laws, criminalizing people who provide basic necessities, such as food and water, to voters standing in line to cast their vote at the ballot box. Or, through redistricting, a process of redrawing district lines based on population data, that occurs every 10 years.
District lines are meant to reflect not only population changes but racial diversity as well, which is important because it determines who will be represented in Congress and state legislators.
Crooked politicians take advantage of this political process by manipulating the district lines, which can have entirely different outcomes on elections by blatantly cutting off millions of voters from utilizing the power of their vote.
The power of voting, both in local and national elections, was emphasized time and time again during the 2024 Democratic National Convention. In the words of Former First Lady Michelle Obama, we must “do something!” And, as Ella Baker said, “to do less at this historic moment would be a disgrace” not only to our ancestors whose shoulders we stand on, but to future generations who depend on us to keep moving forward.
Friends, we are at the crossroads of hopelessness and hopefulness; however, hope is just a concept if there is no action behind it. So again, we must do something! This election is about our democracy and our freedom. It is time we look past red or blue, and make sure your vote comes through!
Our institutions are only as strong as the people we choose to represent us. So: educate yourself on our country’s history because when you know what you stand for you know what to fight for; make sure that you and everyone you know are registered to vote; and lastly, in the words beautifully delivered by Oprah Winfrey at the 2024 DNC, “let’s choose the sweet promise of tomorrow over the bitter return of yesterday.”