Tonight is the start of the Democratic National Convention, an event that most of us were looking forward to with something like dread just a few short weeks ago. Now many of us are looking forward to with something like… well whatever Black Girl Magic x Brat Summer is. Kamala Harris, who was formerly known as a somewhat stiff politician with far from the best oratorical skills, has suddenly become accessible to all and embraced by the youth.
In my brain, I often use comic book analogies to understand the world. By my “logic,” Barack Obama in 2007 was like Batman, who had trained his whole life to be “the hero Gotham America deserves.” However, Kamala Harris is like Captain America. Cap was a person who wanted to do good for his country but wasn’t capable until he was shot up with “Super Soldier Serum.” In Kamala’s case, the magical serum is made up of several parts. Part 1 is Joe Biden unexpectedly dropping out of the race. Part 2 of the serum is Joe Biden endorsing her twenty minutes later, allowing her to skip the awkward process of a bunch of Democratic candidates trying to get the nomination. (That would have turned this week into a shitshow. It would have been like a half dozen Dr. Rachel “Raygun” Gunns spinning around the convention floor trying to get attention.) Part 3 of the serum is Black women having the Zoom to end all Zooms and leading the way for other Zooms, like Black women regularly do. Part 4 is the young people turning Kamala Harris into a pop culture phenomenon. That means when she shows up places, there is an excitement for her that she didn’t earn but she gets credit for anyway. So now the difference between how the “Kamala convention” feels and how we all imagined the “Joe Biden convention” was gonna feel is as stark as Black and white… as young(er) and old… as Berkeley, California and Disconsin, Delaware.
(Wait… that’s not a city in Delaware… Dover? Is Dover a city in Delaware? Providence? No, that’s Rhode Island. Kennybunkship? What is the name of that city in Delaware where all the corporations are “headquartered” for tax purposes? There must be a “Springfield, Delaware.” Every state on that side of the country has a Springfield.
The “Kamala convention” and the “Joe Biden convention” feel as different as Kamala’s hometown of Berkeley, California and Biden’s hometown(?) of Springfield, Delaware.
Editor’s Note: There is not a Springfield, Delaware. There is a Springfield Township in Delaware County, PA. Joe Biden isn’t from there, either. - Kelly
But the feeling isn’t 100% glee. Because many people, myself included, still need Kamala Harris to distinguish herself from President Biden on the continually heartbreaking issue of the government of Israel’s war on Gaza. This week at the DNC is certainly not her last opportunity to do it, but it is her best opportunity. The spotlight on her will not be brighter until she either wins (or loses) the election. There is lots of talk of the historical “convention bump” that candidates get after their party’s convention, but often that bump is more akin to the kind of energy boost that my kids get after they slurp down one of those boba drinks. It hits quickly and disappears even more quickly. VP Harris could get the kind of bump that sustains if she makes the politically popular and morally correct choice of demanding a permanent ceasefire and release of hostages on all sides, and also commits to consequences if those two things don’t happen. (What should those consequences be? Well, that is where my “some college” level of education ends, and I look to smarter people than myself.) When I travel around this nation, I see lots of better ways to spend the money we give to other countries for their wars. Every big city, small town, suburban township, and unincorporated area of this country is in huge need of investment and infrastructure. Those billions and billions could easily be put to better use in some sort of modern W. P. A. As we discussed last time, reparations should be a part of that, too.
Now, before some of you get all “well, actually” in the comments about why those military funds “can’t be used” or why “that’s too much to ask for” or “politically impossible,” I would like to refer you to the distant past: July 20, 2024. Back then, many of us thought Biden dropping out of the race was impossible, too. If there was ever a time to dream and push for everything we want, it is now. As you see, I don’t think we should limit these funds to just the big cities. I want every part of this country to get better, even those parts of the country that don’t want anybody like me living there.
For the record, I have only met Kamala Harris once. It was in 2020, during heavy COVID. It was on a podcast co-hosted by my Christian consigliere, Pastor Michael McBride and me. So I can’t tell you what she is thinking. I can only tell you what I think she is thinking. I believe that she knows that the government of Israel’s war on Gaza is hurting her chances to be the next president, even more than it would even hurt other candidates. I believe I know that this is what she is thinking for one reason and one reason only. I live in Oakland.
While there are certainly a plurality of opinions on the government of Israel’s war on Gaza in Oakland — and in the greater East Bay of Northern California — this is a region where you will commonly see synagogues with banners promoting permanent ceasefire. While there are certainly sometimes ugly things and disgusting actions that come from these differences of opinion, the Bay Area is a place that famously and proudly contains multitudes, to borrow a phrase from Walt Whitman.
Knowing all that, I have a few questions for you. Isn’t it “weird” — to borrow a word from Governor Tim Walz — that since VP Harris has become the presumptive Democratic candidate for president that she hasn’t had a big, beautiful, multicultural, multiracial rally in her birthplace? Doesn’t that seem like one of the first things you would do if you were running for president? Wouldn’t you be especially motivated to do that if you were from places as politically aware and culturally important as Oakland and Berkeley? After all, she did one of those rallies when she announced her run for the presidency in 2020. I think there is a clear reason why she hasn’t repeated that kind of event in the East Bay yet. I believe Kamala knows that if she holds a rally in the East Bay, she would hear loudly from the people who live here who have been disagreeing with the United States policies in Israel long before October 7th, 2023. And those people might be even harder on Kamala Harris precisely because she is from here. This is true even if that person personifies Black Girl Magic, is totally BRAT, or literally reflects the multiracial demographics of the Bay Area. They know you know better.
To give you a sense of the feedback from the Bay, check out this clip from my friend, Oakland activist Cat Brooks. You may remember Cat from the “Defund The Police” episode of United Shades of America. Fair warning, Cat’s language and rhetoric are forceful and un-equivocating.
To be clear, Kamala Harris has been out to the Bay Area since she declared her candidacy. She hosted a big-ticket fundraiser in San Francisco on Sunday, August 12. When I say “big-ticket,” I’m referring to the price of admission: $3,300 to $50,000. Those prices are sadly necessary in a country that not only hasn’t taken money out of politics but actually funnels as much money into politics as possible. And funnel it does! If politics is a foie gras duck, then millionaires’ and billionaires’ bank accounts are the funnel in the duck’s esophagus. Except this duck is excited!
Yes, that metaphor went too far.
I wasn’t at Kamala’s San Francisco fundraiser. That same day I was across the water in Berkeley, California with my Christian consigliere Pastor Michael McBride. A few days earlier Pastor Mike had told me about a colleague of his, the Reverend Dr. Munther Isaac. Reverend Isaac is a Palestinian minister and scholar who had flown in from his home in Palestine to preach at Pastor Mike’s church, The Way Christian Center. In addition to being the president of a college, he leads a church in… wait for it… Bethlehem. Not Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Bethlehem, Palestine. The birthplace of the Jesus guy who, I’m guessing, would also have some thoughts about how Palestinians are being treated. I hadn’t been to church in years, but when Pastor Mike mentioned that he was bringing Isaac to preach about Palestine, I knew I had to be in attendance. I was correct to attend. He was gentle, compelling, clear, and powerful.
The following is Reverend Isaac’s sermon from that day. If you listen closely you might hear an “Amen!” or two from me. Please take a few minutes and check him out, even if you don’t listen to the whole thing.
Look, this is a big week for the Democratic Party. It is a huge week for Kamala Harris. But it is just another step for all of us who believe in justice and equity. Let’s make sure we do all we can to make our voices heard so our politicians know that the correct thing and the popular thing are the same thing, which also makes it the politically expedient thing. So many politicians live lives of leisure and privilege while the people struggle. We have that backwards. The people should have lives of comfort and satisfaction, and the politicians should be working hard to make that happen. All of the politicians. Even the ones who are Black Girl Magical BRAT!
Happy DNC, everybody!
You’re With Me
Some updates before you go:
August Office Hours: Resources for the 2024 Election with Special Guest KATE SCHATZ!
Paid subscribers, save the date! On Thursday August, 29th from 12 - 1pm PT we’re meeting on Zoom to share resources for the 2024 election. We’ll be joined by a special guest, my friend and frequent collaborator, Kate Schatz. Kate’s a New York Times bestselling writer and activist who helps white people be less racist and more human. We wrote Do the Work! An Antiracist Activity Book together, too! You can follow her here on Substack:
Gather with us on 8/29 for some practical advice and communal brainstorming. If you aren’t already a paid subscriber, you can upgrade to get the zoom link and join our conversation:
Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Twinkle Borge
Earlier this month, I found out that Twinkle Borge passed away. Twinkle was an activist and the leader of Hawaii’s largest encampment of unhoused people, Pu'uhonua o Wai'anae. Twinkle was a passionate, direct, loving, and uncompromising advocate for her camp and for all the unhoused folks of Hawaii. I first met her when we filmed the 2018 United Shades of America episode about Native Hawaiians (season 3, episode 8). And then we reconnected when CNN sent me back to Hawaii to talk about Hawaii post-COVID (season 7, episode 7). The transformation in the camp from 2017 to 2022 was remarkable.
Both times I was impressed by her leadership and commitment to her people. She was especially committed to the many children who lived in the camp. Both times I was with her, she specifically mentioned that when the kids of the camp weren’t doing well in school, she would show up at their school to find out what was going on. The thing Twinkle made clear is that the encampment was a community of folks who wanted to live as a community. Twinkle and her crew wanted Hawaii to help them build the structures that would make that possible. That isn’t much to ask in a state that is among the most expensive to live in.
The thing I’m most proud of is that I got to cause a little “good trouble" with Twinkle. One day I’ll tell the whole story. It’s a good one.
Please consider honoring Twinkle’s legacy by joining efforts to buy land and build homes for the houseless community on Oʻahu by donating to this fundraiser. If you’ve ever vacationed in Hawaii, you might want to realllllly consider . . .
The Next Generation of Olympians
Let’s keep channeling our inner olympians and going for more medals in crowdfunding. This is the week when we finish funding the DonorsChoose projects below! They’re all in support of young athletes and they all have matching donations right now.
Coach Bethea’s students at Gibbes Middle School in Columbia, SC don’t have a weight room! They’re one of the only schools in the area without a strength training facility, but we can help change that before the new school. Donations to this campaign are currently being matched, so let’s goooooooo!
Lanier High School’s tennis team needs equipment. Let’s join Michael Jordan (he’s matching donations!) in helping these students in Jackson, MS go after their athletic goals.
The Roaring Tigers of Oklahoma City, OK are ready to play volleyball! Let’s get the students of Crutcho Public School the equipment they need to bump, set, and spike their way to greatness. These donations are matched, too.
If you find another project from DonorsChoose that you think other readers should know about, pop a link in the comments!
LOL, Kelly! Biden's hometown is Scranton, PA. Wilmington is the town in Delaware where all the companies are incorporated. It's one reason why Delaware is such a nice place to live...which is the best kept secret in the west. ;)
I'm sorry for the loss of your friend Twinkle Borge. Thank you for including the link to the sermon by Rev. Dr. Isaac. His message needs to be heard broadly. I hope Kamala Harris hears it loud and clear.