Because I may have been absent on this blog for a while, but I have been busy :)
As we're winding down to the last leg of one of the most chaotic Presidential Elections that I've ever encountered in my lifetime, the Democratic National Convention arrives to Chicago.
In my case as a fellow Chicagoan, I am absolutely thrilled by it. A little nervous too because given everything we've seen recently, from President Biden stepping down from the race, to the placing of Vice President Kamala Harris as the new running mate, and even the selection of the new VP candidate, Tim Walz, it has been a whirlwind of chaos, of campaigning, and of the internet going wild over all the changes.
Now, while I am primarily a book blogger, I occasionally serve as a student journalist (and occasional Social Media Manager!) for the UIC Bonfire Student Newspaper and after going through a bit of a hunt to see if there was a chance to be part of this historical convention, I was able to get approved to attend DNC- related events.
My first one was an open tour of the United Center last May where I got the chance to see the empty venue, get more info on the logistics, and meet with a former Political Science Professor of mine as well as some new faces. Fast forward to now, and I now get to share about the DNC Media Welcome Party last night at the Navy Pier AON Ballroom. As it was my first media party I've ever attended, it was definitely exciting to have the chance to be able to see what happens at these sort of events.
To start off, the choice of venue was absolutely beautiful! Navy Pier has always been known for being one of the most popular tourist attractions, but it also boasts such a pretty sight of the lakeside. Was my dress meant to blend with the water? The world may never know :)
From there, we transition to the food being offered. From Greek Spanokopita appetizers to a celebration of the deep dish pizza culture, the event presented many mini dishes for people to enjoy, making sure to cater to people who may be Vegetarian or Vegan. Some of the notable food choices were the Brown Sugar Bakery mini cupcakes featuring their "Kamala cake" and their Caramel Cake (both of which were tasty!) as well as the mini empanadas from this restaurant called Sinha which were perhaps my favorite part of the evening.
We can't forget the other two staples of the evening (and no, it's not the Vienna Beef Chicago style Hot Dogs!) but the Eli's cheescake factory table featuring a wide array of options and of course, multiple mini bars separated by the South, North, West and East side of the city as a love letter to the corners of our city.
But a party isn't a party without getting to meet some new people. Among some of the people I chatted with through the evening, one of the notable conversations I had was with Paul Street, a journalist and historian from ZNetwork, an independent media platform discussing education, activism and of course, politics. While discussing the current whirlwind of our current political climate, we talked about the noticeable differences between the campaign done by the last woman running as president, Hillary Clinton, and our current contender: Kamala Harris.
"It's not just about getting older audiences to vote for her. You need to target other demographics and age groups too in able to round out the voters that come out to the polls," Street mentioned to me and while observing some of the past campaign strategies previous presidential candidates, I couldn't help but think how the internet, in all its wildness, has helped pushed Kamala Harris to become more popular.
When asking him about whether he believed that she had a shot at winning, he expressed his hope in her success. Hope, that we, as a nation have not seen so much of nowadays. As a woman, especially now, trying to hope for change with politicians that are constantly going against women's rights can seem like an uphill battle that has no end.
But, the overall tone of the evening radiated this hope. From delegates from other states discussing the upcoming presidential debate scheduled for September, to the choice of Tim Walz becoming Vice President as "a step forward", the media has expressed a joy that is refreshing to see as we head into the rest of the convention.
In the meantime, catch my update on the Democratic National Convention coming soon!
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