Kouri Marshall holding his son while watching Rev. Raphael Warnock speak at the DNC at the United Center (Photo courtesy of Kouri Marshall).
I could not be more proud that this groundbreaking and historic convention was held right here in our city and of our mayor, Brandon Johnson, who did a superb job of keeping this city and everyone living in or visiting it safe during this high-profile event.
Despite widespread speculation that there would be violence as the result of protests surrounding such hot-button issues as Israel-Palestine and reproductive rights (from the far right), groups and individuals were able to exercise their right to protest in a form and fashion that was safe for them and everyone in the vicinity.
As a Black Chicagoan and American, witnessing Vice President Kamala Devi Harris’s official nomination was an incredible event on multiple levels.
As a Black American, the prospect of only our second Black president in the hundreds of years of our nation’s history, much of it tinged with racial violence and injustice and after nearly a decade of the racially charged grievance politics of Donald Trump and Trumpism, is particularly inspiring.
As the father of a baby boy who will grow up to be a Black man in this country, who I am raising with an incredible Black woman, it was awe-inspiring to see the possibility of our very first Black woman president unfolding before our very eyes.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]As someone who comes from a political background, I found all four nights of this convention to be a masterclass in political messaging and persuasion.[/perfectpullquote]
Each night, the featured speakers and multimedia presentations made the case for a Kamala Harris presidency—and against a second Trump term.
These speakers ranged from iconic Democratic leaders like the Obamas and the Clintons to rising stars like Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett to luminaries like Oprah Winfrey and acclaimed poet Amanda Gorman. The convention also featured Republican leaders who had the courage and conviction to warn of the dangers of a second Trump presidency.
The latter included numerous two-time Trump voters whose interviews were featured in the convention programming and former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger, who gave a rousing speech and a permission structure for Republicans tired of Trump and his rhetoric who don’t want to vote for him just because he’s their party’s nominee.
Trump’s hugely problematic history with race was called out loudly by civil rights icon Rev. Al Sharpton, who introduced the now exonerated Central Park Five, the young Black men falsely implicated for the brutal rape and assault on a white woman in New York in the early 90s.
Despite the forensic evidence to the contrary that later emerged that cleared them of the attack, Trump has persisted in his public declaration of their “guilt,” insisting that these young brothers receive the death penalty.
Numerous other victims of Trump’s malfeasance also made remarks, including the victims of his “Trump University” and the prosecutor who tried that case. The family of Brian Sicknick, the Capitol Police officer tragically murdered during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol that Trump helped incite, also spoke at the DNC.
Kamala Harris’ convention—and Harris herself—effectively prosecuted the case against Trump, as only a former prosecutor and state Attorney General can do.
But this iconic week wasn’t all about him.
This convention and week was about something bigger than this former reality TV star and failed one-term president.
It was about our nation’s potential to turn the page—not just on Trump—but on a national history that previously taught us that only men can ever be president, or until President Obama came along, at least, only men of a certain hue.
As Hillary Clinton, the first woman nominated for president by a major political party, put it, it was about breaking that “last, highest, hardest glass ceiling.” It was also about helping to create an America that more closely resembles our rising electorate, potential and future.
In so many ways, Kamala Harris’ leadership journey is a window into the soul of America or what we have the potential to be.
As I watched our nominee talk about her story, I was inspired and saw a lot of my own journey in hers.
Like Kamala, I was raised by a single mother with a working-class background. Kamala’s mother was of Indian descent; mine was a Black woman. But they were and are both incredibly strong, resilient women who instilled in their children the belief that they could be anything they wanted to be—if only they would take the necessary action to accomplish this.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]These are the kind of values my wife and I want to instill in our son, and Kamala’s story is proof that the barriers that have so often held people who look like us back in this nation can be dismantled.[/perfectpullquote]
However, my campaign background and experience as a candidate remind me that even the euphoria of an inspiring convention week will not be enough to secure a victory.
Barack Obama never would’ve been able to make history if he hadn’t assembled an effective national and state-level organizing operation, where members knocked on doors, made phone calls and built a diverse, dynamic and ultimately winning coalition.
Similarly, Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, who, along with his family, brought down the house at the DNC and has further added to the excitement surrounding this ticket, will need a strong turnout on Nov. 5 (or during early voting) to seal the deal.
The game is far from over, but with its epic pageantry of patriotism, commitment to public service and hope for the future, this convention is off to a running start.
Now, I hope that we will all take the energy we feel from this euphoric week and put it on the field to bring home the win.
I hope and pray for this positive result not only because I don’t want my son to grow up in Donald Trump’s America but also because I want to one day show him the pictures we took at this historic convention in the city of his birth.
Kouri Marshall with his wife and infant son at the DNC (Photo courtesy of Kouri Marshall).
I want him to be able to enjoy these memories with the knowledge that our first Black (and South Asian) woman President was elected in the year of his birth, whose administration later went on to pave the way for a brighter future for our community and us all.
But this will only be possible if we all vote in great numbers, numbers large enough to overcome the schemes Trump and his allies will likely concoct to discredit any result that’s not a victory for him.
Numbers large enough to overcome voter suppression and disenfranchisement in certain states.
My wife and I can’t wait to take our son to the polls on Election Day and cast our votes, inspired and motivated by this amazing convention experience.
I hope you will join us! Check your voter registration here.