Democratic convention emphasizes reproductive freedom and immigration

Last updated on August 23, 2024 by BVN

Ishena Robinson | URL Media

On the third night of the spectacular Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, speakers began laying out policy positions to distinguish Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz from their opposition. Topping the agenda were reproductive freedom and immigration—and some of the speakers on the latter were unconventional. Everyone from the highest-ranking Latino in Congress (Rep. Pete Aguilar) to former Republican Georgia lieutenant governor Geoff Duncan to a Texas sheriff (Javier Salazar) spoke up. Speakers toed the line between Harris and Democrats who remain tough on the border and an America that is welcoming to immigrants, touting policies like a bipartisan border plan—whose failure they blame Republicans for—and the Biden administration's commitment to securing status for immigrant spouses of American citizens.

Read more: Documented – Biden’s “Keeping Families Together” program is accepting applications

Humor is clearly part of the Democrats' repertoire, who repeatedly declared at the DNC, “When we fight, we win.” And there was a hilarious segment led by SNL's Keenan Thompson, who, with the help of some everyday Americans, took a clear snippet of the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025.

Reproductive freedom was once again in the spotlight, including with a moving video in which people defined their idea of ​​”freedom” — which often elicited responses that included the word “choice.” Surprise guest and local hero Oprah Winfrey poked fun at JD Vance's infamous “childless cat lady” insult and emphasized that the Harris-Walz campaign offers a vision of America in which people help their fellow human beings regardless of their reproductive choices.

“If you don’t have control over when and how you give birth to your children and how they are raised and supported, there is no American dream,” she said.

While former President Bill Clinton also addressed the audience at the United Center (where he claimed that Democrats have created 50 million jobs since the Civil War, while Republicans have created only one million), as well as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, and others, the main event was the appearance of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Walz drew the biggest applause of the night when he mentioned that he wanted to ensure free lunches for children in his state, summing up the Democrats' open-tent philosophy by saying, “Mind your own damn business.”

The governor's son, Gus Walz, provided one of the most heartwarming moments of the entire convention when he tearfully exclaimed, “That's my father!” as Walz expressed his love for his wife, Gwen, and children on stage.

Despite the boisterous mood inside the United Center, outside, unaffiliated delegates protesting Biden and Harris' funding of the Gaza war launched a sit-in to demand that the party allow a Palestinian-American speaker to take the stage and deliver a speech.

“Our party's platform says that every life is valuable: American, Palestinian or Israeli. We will perform a moral act by attending the gathering to push our party to align our actions, not just our words,” the unaffiliated delegates said in a statement.

On Wednesday, the parents of an American taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7 delivered a speech to the DNC demanding the return of all hostages to their homeland and calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The march to the DNC is expected to take place on Thursday at the United Center, along with Vice President Harris' appearance and her official acceptance speech, to continue the chorus of calls for the administration to end its aid to Israel.

Black Voice News is a URL Media partner. URL Media is in Chicago covering the 2024 DNC. Follow us on our website and social media at @url-media for on-the-ground community-focused reporting all week!