The op-ed below is based on the transcript of remarks delivered at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024.
Six years ago, I was taking omelet orders as a waitress in New York City. I didn’t have health insurance. My family was fighting off foreclosure, and we were struggling with bills after my dad passed away unexpectedly from cancer. Like millions of Americans, we were just looking for an honest shake. And we were tired of a cynical politics that seemed blind to the realities of working people.
It was then, only through the miracles of democracy and community, that the good people of the Bronx and Queens chose someone like me to represent them in Congress.
I am here tonight because America has before us a rare and precious opportunity. In Kamala Harris, we have someone who understands the urgency of rent checks and groceries and prescriptions. She is as committed to our reproductive and civil rights as she is to taking on corporate greed. And she is working tirelessly to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and bring the hostages home.
In Kamala Harris, I see a leader who understands. I see a leader with a real commitment to a better future for working families.
We know that Donald Trump would sell this country for a dollar if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing the palms of his Wall Street friends. And I, for one, am tired of hearing how a two-bit union-buster thinks about himself as more of a patriot than the woman who fights every single day to lift working people out from under the boots of greed.
The truth is, Don, you cannot love this country if you only fight for the wealthy and big business. To love this country is to fight for its people, all people, working people, everyday Americans like bartenders and factory workers and fast food cashiers who are on their feet all day in some of the toughest jobs out there.
You know, ever since I got elected, Republicans have attacked me by saying that I should go back to bartending. But let me tell you, I am happy to, any day of the week because there is nothing wrong with working for a living.
But just because the choice in this election is clear to us does not mean that the path will be easy. Over the next 78 days, we will have to pour every ounce, every minute, every moment into making history on Nov. 5.
But we cannot send Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to the White House alone. We must also elect strong Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate so that we can deliver on an agenda for the people.
But people need to know, that if you are a working parent trying to afford rent and childcare, Kamala is for you. If you are a senior who has to go back to work because your retirement didn’t stretch far enough, Kamala is for you. If you are an immigrant family just starting your American story, Kamala is for you.
America, when we knock on our neighbor’s door, organize our communities, and elect Kamala Harris to the presidency on Nov. 5, we will send a loud message that the people of this nation will not go back. We choose a new path and open the door to a new day, one that is for the people and by the people.
As with all op-eds published by People’s World, the views represented here are those of the author.
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