Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted the Democratic nomination at the fourth and final night of the convention
\nWashington
\nLess than five weeks ago, she was the running mate, second tier on the Democratic presidential ticket.
\nBut on Thursday night, United States Vice President Kamala Harris took centre stage at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) to formally accept the party\u2019s nomination for the presidency.
\n\u201cWe were underestimated at practically every turn. But we never gave up. Because the future is always worth fighting for. And that\u2019s the fight we are in right now: a fight for America\u2019s future,\u201d said Harris.
\nAs the party nominee, Harris was the keynote speaker on the final night of the four-day convention, held in Chicago, Illinois.
\nShe dedicated her speech to campaign themes like strengthening the middle class and building an \u201copportunity economy\u201d. She called on voters to help her write \u201cthe next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told\u201d.
\nIt was the highest profile moment yet for Harris\u2019s 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.
\nShe 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.
\nBut her victory lap at the Democratic National Convention has been, at times, overshadowed by protests denouncing US support for Israel\u2019s war in Gaza.
\nHarris waded into the issue briefly during her remarks, reiterating her predecessor\u2019s steadfast support for Israel while envisioning a future where Palestinians had the \u201cright to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination\u201d.
\nHere are five takeaways from the final day of the convention.
\nPro-Palestinian protests rage on
\nProtests have been a constant outside the Democratic National Convention this week, as advocates hope to raise awareness for the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.
\nMore than 40,200 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel\u2019s war in the enclave, and some human rights experts have raised the alarm over the possibility of genocide and famine.
\nBut 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.
\nThe night before, the Democratic National Committee had rejected an appeal to include a Palestinian American speaker in its final lineup on Thursday.
\nIn a bid to change the convention organisers\u2019 minds, members of the Uncommitted National Movement held a sit-in outside the United Center, where the speeches were taking place.
\n\u201cThis Palestinian speaker situation is a mistake on the party\u2019s end,\u201d 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.
\nThe decision also had immediate ramifications for Harris\u2019s base of support. The group Muslim Women for Harris announced overnight that it would dissolve as a result.
\nDemocrats invoke the \u2018American dream\u2019
\nWhen the primetime lineup of speakers finally began on Thursday, their remarks echoed a familiar trope in US politics: the \u201cAmerican dream\u201d.
\n\u201cThis November, who\u2019s ready to defend the dream?\u201d asked Alex Padilla, a senator from California, as he amped up the crowd early in the night.
\nThat idea behind the American dream \u2014 that US citizens should be able to aspire to freedom and opportunity, no matter their background \u2014 was repeated often in on-stage appeals for affordable childcare, healthcare and housing.
\nIt 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.
\nIn 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.
\nComedian DL Hughley referenced that incident as he delivered jokes from the convention stage.
\n\u201cIf [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,\u201d Hughley quipped.
\nHe then shifted to a more serious note.
\n\u201cKamala knows the truth about the American dream: that hard work alone is not enough to succeed, that you need access and information and opportunity,\u201d Hughley explained. \u201cAnd she knows that some folks are often denied those very things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Central Park Five put criminal justice in spotlight
\nThe 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.
\nBut 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.
\nIn 1989, a 28-year-old woman was raped and beaten in New York City\u2019s 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.
\nAll but McCray were present on the Democratic National Committee stage on Thursday. There, they recounted how they were falsely accused and imprisoned \u2014 for up to 13 years. They have since been exonerated thanks to DNA evidence.
\nThey pointed to Trump\u2019s role in the public pressure surrounding their incarceration. Amid their trial, Trump ran full-page newspaper ads that read: \u201cBring back the death penalty.\u201d
\n\u201cThat man thinks that hate is the animating force in America,\u201d Salaam, now a New York City council member, said.
\n\u201cIt 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.\u201d
\nProsecutors 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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) …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":69305,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69326"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69335,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69326\/revisions\/69335"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}