Ald. William Hall of Chicago’s 6th Ward will address the Democratic National Convention, sharing his South Side roots and the lineage of Black leaders who shaped history (Photo Provided).
After millions worldwide witness Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz formally accept the Democratic vice presidential nomination on Wednesday (Aug. 21), they will also see Ald. William Hall of the 6th Ward of Chicago’s South Side takes the stage on night three of the Democratic National Convention.
Yes, Ald. Hall, lead pastor at St. James Church and a lifelong Chatham resident will deliver a speech on the national stage at the United Center, a privilege accorded to a few.
Hall told The Chicago Defender that he only learned about this life-altering opportunity a little over a week ago while having dinner at a Hyde Park restaurant.
The Unexpected Invitation
He got a text message from Kamala Harris’s campaign asking about his plans for Wednesday night. They then invited him to attend the penultimate night of the DNC, which he undoubtedly accepted.
“I couldn’t stop crying,” Hall said. It had been a life-changing moment.”
Honoring His Father’s Legacy
For Hall, the moments leading up to his national appearance have been filled with tears—joyful ones—history and inspiration, which has come from his memories of his father and the guidance accorded by a higher power.
“The only person I wish could be here is my father,” Hall said. “He used to make me read to him. That’s how I learned to read. He used to make me write book reports. That’s how I learned how to write. And just to be able to show my father that reading and writing paid off. It means the world to me.”
“I heard him speaking many times, whether it was to me or church or block club meetings,” he said. “I’m from that lineage, that DNA is where I come from, and that’s what I’m pulling on more than anything right now, is just to have that extra push from above, both my Heavenly Father and my earthly father.”
From Chatham to the DNC
Being at the DNC and even being an elected official were two outcomes he would have never imagined.
“I was raised to always keep your faith, work hard and treat people right, and that’s all I know how to do,” Hall said. “And in doing so, every time I turn around, it’s something I never imagined happening.”
Hall, a 2024 Chicago Defender Men of Excellence honoree, won his runoff to replace longtime Ald. Roderick Sawyer, who stepped down from his post to run for mayor in a bid that proved unsuccessful.
Carrying the History of the 6th Ward
Hall, whose ward consists of historic South Side neighborhoods like Englewood, Park Manor, Auburn Gresham and Chatham, plans to bring the history of those neighborhoods to the DNC stage.
“I plan to inspire us to support Kamala,” he said. “I’m also going to walk the hallways of the sixth ward in Chicago, the lineage and history.”
Locally and beyond, the sixth ward’s history is extensive, influential and change-making.
Within the South Side ward’s annals are the contributions of Carol Moseley Braun, the first African-American woman elected to the U.S. Senate, and Gwendolyn Brooks, the poet who became the first African American to receive a Pulitzer Prize, along with other Black people, a list too numerous to name.
Hall also included Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates, another notable, influential Black woman from his area.
“So, I plan to talk about the lineage of Black women who changed the world that came from the sixth ward and, of course, support Kamala.”
“As much as I’m overwhelmed and over-joyful about this moment,” Hall said, “The other side of it is that this is a moment that I’m grateful to be a part of, but I have an assignment. And the assignment, in this moment, is to inspire the world.”
Walking in the Footsteps of Giants
As expected, Illinois lawmakers and residents are integral to this year’s convention. Hall’s appearance comes a day after Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Gov. JB Pritzker and Sen. Tammy Duckworth were featured speakers on night two.
And speaking of Barack, who delivered Tuesday’s closing remarks, the Defender asked Hall whether the former President’s landmark 2004 DNC address, which catapulted him into the national spotlight, has also crossed his mind as he readies for his big moment.
“I will never forget when I saw that moment,” Hall said. “I was sitting with my grandfather, and when I saw that moment, I said, ‘That’s our next president.'”
“But I’m not Barack Obama,” he added, “I’m so grateful to have had opportunities to shake his hand. But that lineage he stepped in is the same lineage that Rev. Jesse Jackson stepped in, which comes from the [Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.] lineage, and the list goes on and on of those who revived and inspired America.”
Hopes for the Future
“So to be in that hallway of history, I’m just grateful. My hope is that one day I can look at my kids and say, ‘Hey, your daddy was the guy that helped revive America and helped us get to the finish line.'”
“Now, President, I don’t know about that,” he said. “But hopefully, one day, I’ll be able to tell my kids I stood with the first Black President, and I have the opportunity to inspire us to vote for and elect the first Black woman to be the President.”
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