By Roger Caldwell
As the Democratic Convention begins August 19, thru August 22, 2024 the Black and the diverse media must have a chair at the table. In Chicago there will be 50,000 visitors and 15,000 members of the media there. Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota will be the stars of the convention.
Chicago has spread out the red carpet, and there are Black, and Hispanic women with businesses of color, who are significant in the front and in the back of the convention making things work. Chicago is an ideal location for the Democratic convention, and it gives the diversity of the city to come shining through.
Former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois said it was fitting that Harris would accept the nomination in Chicago, where former President Barack Obama started his political career. “We have a tradition in this city of men and women moving forward for new horizons,” said the senator.
It is extremely important that major events are covered by the Black Media from a Black perspective. In Atlanta at the first debate between Biden and Trump, CNN issued a press statement on Thursday; less than 24 hours after outrage grew on social media amid reports that the Black media wasn’t being granted access to the debate.
“This afternoon we learned that CNN has credentialed 800 members of the media for the first presidential debate of the election cycle. Not one represents a Black-owned media outlet. CNN’s exclusion of Black-owned media represents an egregious oversight and is totally unacceptable,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks.
CNN told the Atlanta Black Star in an email that it was “unable to accommodate any additional credential requests” since the deadline had passed. There appeared to not have been any outreach from CNN to the Black media to invite them to apply for debate media credentials.
The Black Press serves as a primary news source for many Black Americans, and everyone on both sides must do a better job getting the word out. Moving forward there are at least 10 Black owned media outlets that should have credentials at major events during the presidential election.
It is critical to ensure Black-owned and operated media are present and have prime placement to record, create, and share content for the Black community. The Black media has a long history of providing news and information specifically for Black audiences.
At the Democratic National Convention, the key leadership roles will be held by Black women. Minyon Moore – Democratic National Convention Chair is a Black woman who will take a historic leadership position at the convention. Many of these women have worked behind the scenes and are now powerful and they will control every aspect of the convention.
There will be more young people, older people, people from the LGBTQ community with different ethnicities and faiths appearing on the podium. The investment for Black women in the Democratic Party is paying off with leaders that look like us, and policies that impact Black women, Black men, our families, and our communities.
Our Black women make us proud, and Vice-President Kamala Harris has crashed the glass ceiling to become the first Black women to be nominated to run for the President of the United States.
