The first night of the DNC

A long, fiery speech by the
outgoing president, musical performances by Jason Isbell and Mickey Guyton, and
a surprise appearance by the presidential nominee highlighted the first night
of the Democratic National Convention Monday night in Chicago.

Punctuated by chants of “We love
Joe” and “Thank you, Joe,” President Joe Biden recited a lengthy list of his
administration’s accomplishments while comparing it to the record of Republican
nominee Donald Trump. Before key portions of his speech, an army of volunteers
passed out placards and signs to each seating row so the convention attendees
could wave them in unison while cheering.

But the biggest crowd reaction came
when Vice President Kamala Harris strode onto the stage unannounced mid-evening
and got the crowd to repeat the convention mantra, “When we fight, we win!”

All of this was exciting for
Illinois’ 177 convention delegates, but especially so for first-time delegates
such as Ken Mejia Beal from Bloomingdale.

“I am looking forward to watching
Vice President Harris get the official nomination to be President of the United
States of America,” Beal said. “That will make me very happy and very proud. It
is long overdue.”

Beal was pleased with the game plan
for election success that is being laid out during the convention.

“I think they have a great
strategy,” Beal said. “Keep pushing the economy, pushing freedom, pushing
equality for all, and I think everything is falling into place.”

Adriane Johnson from the Chicago
area is another first-time delegate.

“I’m just really happy to be here,
there is a lot of hope,” Johnson said. “When Vice President Harris formally
accepts the nomination, it’s going to be an historic moment.”

Chicago Federation of Labor
President Bob Reiter was an alternate convention delegate for Hillary Clinton
in 2016 and was pledged to support Joe Biden in 2020 but the COVID pandemic
canceled an in-person convention that year. He relished his role as a delegate
on Monday night, and had advice for the first-time delegates.

“This is an incredible experience
being on the floor and hearing the amazing speakers that come from different
parts of the Democratic Party, elected officials to ordinary citizens,” Reiter
said. “New delegates should cherish the experience, it really makes you feel
connected to the party.”

Dixon resident Sarah Bingman is a
first-time delegate and was looking forward to an exciting week.

“I have already had a great time
meeting up with people and feeling the energy, excitement and joy of this
occasion,” Bingman said. “It’s wonderful because I live in a red area of
Illinois, and we’re seeing a major shift that we hope filters down to our other
candidates.”

Former Congresswoman Jacqueline
Collins of Chicago is a veteran convention delegate and said new delegates are
in for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“They should be enthusiastic and
encourage the candidates that are speaking, because they are leading the party
to a new future of hope,” Collins said. “I was here for Obama and I’m here now
for Kamala.”

Collins, herself a seasoned
political campaigner, suggested a party strategy as the election nears.

“Speak to the people, tell the
truth, speak to the policy issues that impact people who are sitting at the
kitchen table,” Collins said. “Talk about what Biden has done, he’s set us on a
strong economic path.”

First-time delegate and Country
Club Hills resident Earl Husbands was looking forward to hearing all of the
convention speakers.

“This is my first time experiencing
the energy of the room,” Husbands said. “I see the big shift coming in the next
few weeks, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Illinois
Comptroller Susanna Mendoza is no stranger to politics or political conventions.
Her first as an attendee was the 2000 convention that nominated Al Gore for
president.

“Delegates should
have a blast, the louder and more boisterous you can be, the more fun you are going
to have,” Mendoza said. “Thursday night my husband and my son are going to be
in one of those cheap seats up there but any seat in this place is going to be
the best place to be in the world.”

“I want my son’s
first convention to be the one where we nominate the first woman who will win
the presidency of the United States,” Mendoza said. “What an amazing thing for
my little boy to get to see a woman in that type of power position talking
about all the beautiful things that make our country great, compared to the
other guy, who is the most depressing, asinine individual in the world. This is
the place for the next generation of leaders to be inspired to do great things
for our beautiful country.”

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This article appears in Battling blight.