CHICAGO, IL- Thursday wraps up the Democratic National Convention. Delegates and leaders from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands made their way to the Windy City to participate in the event. We spoke with the delegates on the floor. They shared their experience at the DNC and the vision they have for our islands with a Harris-Walz administration.
In part of the DNC ceremony, states and territories announced who their delegates are supporting for the Democratic presidential nomination. For this convention, they got to do it with a bit of style and music.
“The energy- I think is equivalent to the Obama years,” said USVI Delegate Barbara Petersen. “There’s an excitement, there’s no question that electing a Black woman to the President of the United States. W can’t minimize that issue, right? So the excitement is here and more importantly there’s a level of hope and joy when you walk in here. It’s just so amazing how everybody is so happy and positive.”
“When I think about electing a woman for President I think of my daughters,” said USVI Delegate Kevin Rodriguez. “I have three daughters and it gives hope to all the young ladies out there who are hopeful to one day be President of the United States and that’s what I’m excited about.”
For many of the delegates from the USVI and Puerto Rico, this isn’t their first convention.
“You wouldn’t believe it,” said USVI Delegate Cecil Benjamin. “All the time since 1984 until now. I get excited and got involved with the Jesse Jackson campaign of 1984 and I’ve been a delegate every four years.”
“This is compared to the Obama convention,” said Puerto Rico Delegate Senator Carmelo Rios, PR Senate Minority Whip. “With the electricity- I mean a month and a half ago people were thinking how bad we were gonna lose and I was co-chair of the Biden campaign of Puerto Rico, so it was kind of sweet and sour knowing that we have many [inaudible] ahead.”
Delegates and leaders in the territories said it’s a special time to participate since people in the territories can’t vote for president.
“I think its really important for Puerto Rico to be a part of this,” said Rosemarie Vizcarrondo, the National Committeewoman for the Puerto Rico Democratic Party. “We are American citizens we want to be part of this nation, we want to be a state. And we also want to be a part of electing a first woman President of the United States. So for me and for the rest of our delegation, it’s important to be here.”
If Kamala Harris and Tim Walz win the White House, many delegates hope their administration will change that.
“Make sure that we can vote for the President of the United States; That is the number one agenda item for us, giving us equity in this platform,” said Petersen. “We, as the delegates, this is as close as we can get to voting.”
They hope a Harris-Walz administration could continue to support their islands.
“I would like for her to make the US Virgin Islands, and a whole lot more black people in the entire United States, more inclusive in terms of the benefits, more programs,” said Benjamin. “And of course we must have more justice in terms of what the other 50 states are getting we are citizens like the rest so we need to be treated the same way, same level.”
“Our island needs to be part of the nation’s infrastructure reconstruction,” said Vizcarrondo. “We want a very strong reconstruction for Puerto Rico to continue and progress.”
“When we fight together, we win together and we are not turning back,” said Benjamin. “Forward-forever, backwards never.”