Key takeaways from the fourth night of the Democratic National Convention

Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted the Democratic nomination at the fourth and final night of the convention
Washington
Less than five weeks ago, she was the running mate, second tier on the Democratic presidential ticket.
But on Thursday night, United States Vice President Kamala Harris took centre stage at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) to formally accept the party’s nomination for the presidency.
“We were underestimated at practically every turn. But we never gave up. Because the future is always worth fighting for. And that’s the fight we are in right now: a fight for America’s future,” said Harris.
As the party nominee, Harris was the keynote speaker on the final night of the four-day convention, held in Chicago, Illinois.
She dedicated her speech to campaign themes like strengthening the middle class and building an “opportunity economy”. She called on voters to help her write “the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told”.
It was the highest profile moment yet for Harris’s meteoric campaign. In late July, incumbent Democrat Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race amid pressure about his age and capacity to lead, clearing the way for Harris to take his spot.
She has since energised the Democratic base, with polls showing Harris pushing ahead of Republican candidate Donald Trump in key swing states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.
But her victory lap at the Democratic National Convention has been, at times, overshadowed by protests denouncing US support for Israel’s war in Gaza.
Harris waded into the issue briefly during her remarks, reiterating her predecessor’s steadfast support for Israel while envisioning a future where Palestinians had the “right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination”.
Here are five takeaways from the final day of the convention.
Pro-Palestinian protests rage on
Protests have been a constant outside the Democratic National Convention this week, as advocates hope to raise awareness for the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.
More than 40,200 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel’s war in the enclave, and some human rights experts have raised the alarm over the possibility of genocide and famine.
But frustration reached a peak on Thursday, as organisers made a last, unsuccessful push to ensure a Palestinian American voice could be featured on the convention stage.
The night before, the Democratic National Committee had rejected an appeal to include a Palestinian American speaker in its final lineup on Thursday.
In a bid to change the convention organisers’ minds, members of the Uncommitted National Movement held a sit-in outside the United Center, where the speeches were taking place.
“This Palestinian speaker situation is a mistake on the party’s end,” Abbas Alawieh, the co-founder of the movement, told Al Jazeera reporter Ali Harb as he sat cross-legged on the concrete in the afternoon heat.
The decision also had immediate ramifications for Harris’s base of support. The group Muslim Women for Harris announced overnight that it would dissolve as a result.
Democrats invoke the ‘American dream’
When the primetime lineup of speakers finally began on Thursday, their remarks echoed a familiar trope in US politics: the “American dream”.
“This November, who’s ready to defend the dream?” asked Alex Padilla, a senator from California, as he amped up the crowd early in the night.
That idea behind the American dream — that US citizens should be able to aspire to freedom and opportunity, no matter their background — was repeated often in on-stage appeals for affordable childcare, healthcare and housing.
It was on that last point that Democrats like Senator Elizabeth Warren took shots at Trump, a real estate tycoon who has faced accusations of racial discrimination at his housing developments.
In 1973, for instance, Trump and his father Fred Trump faced a federal lawsuit that alleged they denied rentals to Black residents in New York. That suit was ultimately settled.
Comedian DL Hughley referenced that incident as he delivered jokes from the convention stage.
“If [Trump] keeps sliding in the polls the way he is, the only way he can keep Kamala out of the White House is if he buys it and refuses to rent it to her,” Hughley quipped.
He then shifted to a more serious note.
“Kamala knows the truth about the American dream: that hard work alone is not enough to succeed, that you need access and information and opportunity,” Hughley explained. “And she knows that some folks are often denied those very things.”

Central Park Five put criminal justice in spotlight
The last night of the convention was studded with celebrity appearances, including remarks from actors Kerry Washington and Eva Longoria, as well as performances by musical acts like Pink and The Chicks.
But one of the biggest surprises was not an A-list actor or pop star. It was the arrival on stage of a group of Black and Latino men collectively known as the Central Park Five.
In 1989, a 28-year-old woman was raped and beaten in New York City’s Central Park, and the police quickly singled out five teenagers, all between the ages of 14 and 16 years old. Their names were Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise.
All but McCray were present on the Democratic National Committee stage on Thursday. There, they recounted how they were falsely accused and imprisoned — for up to 13 years. They have since been exonerated thanks to DNA evidence.
They pointed to Trump’s role in the public pressure surrounding their incarceration. Amid their trial, Trump ran full-page newspaper ads that read: “Bring back the death penalty.”
“That man thinks that hate is the animating force in America,” Salaam, now a New York City council member, said.
“It is not. We have the constitutional right to vote. In fact, it is a human right, so let us use it. I want you to walk with us. I want you to march with us. I want you to vote with us.”
Prosecutors who worked with Harris later came out on stage to tout her record in the criminal justice system, including her defence of sex-trafficking survivors.