"Complex at the DNC" is a daily journal of convention events by Kevin Powell, activist, writer, and author of 'The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood.'
Tuesday, July 26
The Bernie-or-bust Army is not going anywhere any time soon. Despite the senator's calls to support Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, there are protesters a stone's throw from the Pennsylvania Convention Center. They've shown up in huge numbers, with stages and booming sound systems, Bernie tees, hats, buttons, and posters. Speaker after speaker made it clear that this about more than Sanders; it's about America's "rigged" two-party system.
It's mostly a crowd of young people, and speakers blasted the one percent. It's the same scene an hour later when I arrive for the actual convention events. It's a big day because of the official delegate count and roll call. Just like yesterday, Bernie Bros are out in full force. One young woman, a mother originally from Texas, made it clear that she's #StillSanders: “This is about the people, about fighting for what is right. The email leaks make it plain this was never a fair contest. We want justice.”
I ask her what that justice would look like and she answers, "People of all backgrounds coming together, people who have been left out, understanding our power together.”
As the delegate count is set to begin, there's high energy on the floor. Sanders and his wife Jane are with the Vermont delegation. There are Bernie-or-bust delegates waving signs and even more boisterous than the day before. When the Vermont delegation finally votes, Sanders grabs the mic and asks that Clinton be declared the nominee. Clinton supporters go wild, but Bernie-or-bust delegates leave to stage another opposing protest in the media tent.
Later that night, even former President Bill Clinton couldn't convince Bernie-or-bust folks to stand with Hilary. The evidence is all over social media: the Democratic Party is divided. Clinton is the first woman to receive the nomination of a major American political party, but it feels slightly tarnished.
Even the mothers who lost their children to racialized police violence are divided. The mother of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old boy shot by Cleveland police, refused to participate in "The Mothers in the Movement" event at the convention. She feels no political leader has taken a strong enough stand against police violence and racial profiling. Many Sanders supporters I've spoken to this week are adamant that they will vote for a third-party candidate or not vote at all come November, even though Sanders has vocally opposed this idea.
In some way, this is what democracy is supposed to look like: voices of all people are heard. But, again, Bernie-or-bust folks say they are protesting precisely because they feel unheard, and they don't care that Sanders or liberal darling Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren are now with Hillary. They keep saying this is bigger than Bernie, that this is about the future of America.
