This year’s Democratic National Convention will held entirely online through a series of pre-recorded speeches made by senators, governors and civil rights icons, as well as a number of performances.
Headlining the opening night titled “We The People,” is former First Lady Michelle Obama, along with Vermont Senator and former candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, Bernie Sanders.
In a thirty-second recording released on Monday afternoon, Obama described the former Vice President Joe Biden as “terrific”, and a “profound, decent man guided by faith.”
“I know Joe,” Obama said. “He knows what it takes to rescue our economy, beat back a pandemic and lead our country.”
“And he listens,” the former First Lady stressed. “He will tell the truth and trusts science. He will make smart plans and manage a good team, and he will govern as someone who has lived the life the rest of us can recognise.” Obama also described Biden as a down-to-earth politician who will lead the country out of crisis.
Other speakers will be hitting Trump hard for his management of the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far claimed over 170,000 lives. They will also be criticising the President’s escalating US unemployment figures, combative response to anti-police protests and his aggressive attempts to shut down TikTok.
Actress Eva Longoria will be giving introductory remarks to open the evening’s event. She will be followed by a list of high-profile female Democratic politicians including Gwen Moore, Representative of Wisconsin, Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington D.C.and Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, who is set to speak with Biden in an intimate one-on-one about racial justice.
Previous presidential candidate Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York will also be making remarks, as well as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
A number of performances are also scheduled, including from John Legend, The Chicks, Billie Eilish, Maggie Rogers, Jennifer Hudson and Billie Porter.
Former President Barack Obama has tweeted a list of his ‘Summer playlist’ and noted an astrix next to those that are performing.
In July last year, Michelle Obama spoke to CBS host Gayle King, describing the “very emotional” feelings she felt being present at Trump’s 2017 inauguration. “I had to sit in that audience as one of the handfuls of people of colour, all that I had to hold on to over those last 8 years, and it was a lot emotionally,” she said.
The convention kicks off Monday evening US time. Most of the speeches have been pre-recorded and will be released over the next four evenings, US time. Michelle Obama’s speech is scheduled to be streaming towards the end of Monday evening, US time, right after Bernie Sanders’. We’ll be following it closely here at Women’s Agenda.