CHICAGO — Every four years, the Democratic Party of Georgia works to ensure that the delegates it sends to the party’s national convention reflect the diversity of voters back home.
The 108 voting delegates who attended this year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago included 16 people under the age of 36, and 31 were ages 65 and older. Fifty-four delegates self-identified as Black, nine as Latino, five as Asian American Pacific Islander and one each Arab and Native American.
Eight delegates said they were living with a disability, and 10 self-identified as members of the LGBTQ+ community. All of it is to be celebrated and makes the party stronger, said Kierra Johnson, a Georgia native who currently serves as president of the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund.
“I truly believe that we can only make this country as good as it can be by honoring the uniqueness of each of our perspectives, identities and histories,” she said. “And so, we’ve got to give people the space to have pride in whatever their unique identities are.”
Compared to the Republican Party, which held its convention in Milwaukee in July, the Democratic Party is much more diverse and willing to celebrate that inclusion. There were gender-neutral bathrooms inside the United Center and a quiet space for Muslims who need to pray five times a day.
The Democratic Party’s political machine is also a reflection of that diversity. When Kamala Harris launched her campaign for president a month ago, Black women organized a virtual event that led to others featuring Black men, white women, “white dudes,” Latinos, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders voters and many other affinity groups.
Each day during last week’s DNC, meetings focused on issues pertaining to specific groups, such as union members or Native Americans.
What conservatives have criticized in the past as divisive “identity politics,” Democrats see as an essential component of building their coalition, said U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock.
“It is as basic as the American covenant ‘E pluribus unum,’ out of many one,” he said. “The way you get to ‘one’ is you acknowledge the ‘many,’ and the proof is in the pudding. Look at their convention, and look at ours. Listen to their convention, and listen to ours. I would argue that ours looks more like America.”
Sandy Springs resident Seth Taylor, who is autistic, said he brought a unique perspective to Georgia’s delegation at the DNC. It was even part of his pitch when he was running for the position, which requires the support of fellow Democratic activists who live in his area.
“I was like, when we think of diversity, we think of race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, yada, yada, yada. Well, how about neurodiversity?” he said. “Because we need more of that neurodiversity up at the convention, and they elected me.”
In the evenings during prime-time programming, Taylor was often spotted on the floor of the United Center with his University of Georgia hat, reacting enthusiastically to the music and the parade of speakers.
Many of them described America as a nation full of people from different walks of life whom Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are ready to embrace and serve.
“Together, Kamala and Tim have kept faith with America’s central story — a story that says we’re all created equal, that everyone deserves a chance, and that, even when we don’t agree with each other, we can find a way to live with each other,” former President Barack Obama said Tuesday night. “That’s Kamala’s vision. That’s Tim’s vision. That’s the Democratic Party’s vision. And our job over the next eleven weeks is to convince as many people as possible to vote for that vision.”
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, who filled the vacancy left by Harris in the Senate, framed it in the context of the search for a better life that both he and Harris’ immigrant parents pursued.
“It’s the American dream after all that brought my parents to the United States decades ago,” Padilla said, speaking in both English and Spanish. “But today, we know that the dream is out of reach for far too many families. My question for all of you tonight is this: This November, who is ready to defend the dream? Quien esta listo al defender el sueño Americano?”
Credit: Handout/Chase Stell
Credit: Handout/Chase Stell
Chase Stell flew straight from the Democratic convention in Chicago to Daytona Beach, Florida, where he attended a NASCAR race with his father and two brothers. A straight, white male, Stell said he feels proud of the diversity he sees among Democrats.
“Differences and diversity is what makes America great,” he said.
Stell, who lives in Hapeville and serves as political director for Fulton County Democrats, said only by acknowledging these differences can Americans ensure that everyone is taken care of.
“In my opinion, I think it’s patriotic to care about your neighbor,” he said. “Make sure your neighbor has access to health care and child care. Make sure that your daughter, your niece, your cousin has access to reproductive health care. I think that’s what makes a patriot.”
