As thousands poured into Chicago neighborhoods for the highly acclaimed Democratic National Convention, hundreds of residents mobilized to support their efforts.
Women, men and teens all volunteered to distribute signs in hopes of encouraging the community to vote in the 2024 election. However, a small group of young adults played a more crucial, intimate and less appreciated role in the convention’s overall success.
The designated staff at United Center and McCormick Place consisted of a group of 18- 26-year-olds.
For much of the year, these team members staff Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks games, school events like proms or even business conferences. But these are nowhere near the magnitude of the convention. McCormick Place was used for daytime DNC business and downtown hotels for delegates, while the United Center served as a space for official proceedings and primetime programming.
“We are honored and excited for our campus hotels to serve as the headquarters for the 2024 Democratic National Convention,” Larita Clark, CEO of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, owner of the Marriott Marquis Chicago, Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, and McCormick Place Convention Center said after securing the headquarter deal. “With our 23 union partners and nearly 3,000 campus employees, we welcome the DNC to McCormick Place. We look forward to creating a spectacular event.”
According to survey reports, the DNC exceeded expectations, so much so that the host committee is considering hosting the 2028 convention in the same city.
“We’re one of the very few cities that were able to raise the money, recruit the volunteers, raise millions more than what we planned on, and recruit thousands more volunteers than any other host city or past political conventions has, Democrat or Republican,” Christy George, executive director of the Chicago DNC’s Host Committee told the Chicago Sun-Times. “We want that experience again, and we would happily, happily bid for it. So I’m with JB, and I’m all for another convention here. We can do this. We can do it well.”
Nighttime workers like 18-year-old United Center worker Veronica Valladares said the work required to pull it off was “exhausting.” Each evening, Valladares manned the arena’s doors, screened press passes and turned those without clearance away.
The heightened responsibility allotted for growth in their communication. Her co-worker, Karmella White, also 18, shared that she sometimes felt disrespected by unruly adults frustrated by pass limitations at the convention.
“I liked working the event, but the only downside was that half of the people were rude and they didn’t listen to me when I told them something, but when someone else reiterated the same thing I said, they’d listen,” White told the Defender.
Despite some pushback, she and many others appreciated the opportunity to watch history in motion. White specifically felt connected to Democratic candidate Kamala Harris because of the shared uniqueness of their names.
“I really enjoyed seeing Barack and Michelle, and I’m glad for everybody that came to participate in the DNC for Kamala because she really deserved all the support,” White added.
Her colleagues agreed, reflecting on the once-in-a-lifetime experience to hear former presidents and international leaders speak on a local stage.
“It was so exciting to see everybody in unison and on one accord,” Kavahre Jefferson, 21, said of the Democratic party. “I’ll definitely remember this moment in my life.”
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