CHICAGO, IL.—Jonnika Kwon, 17, one of the Washington State Democrat Party’s youngest national delegates and Chair of the Washington High School Democrats, returned home from her first ever Democratic National Convention (DNC) last week feeling proud to be an American and excited for what the future holds for her party.
The convention was held in Chicago, Illinois from Monday, August 19, through Thursday, August 22.
Kwon wasn’t quite sure what to expect during her first trip to the Windy City and first ever Democrat Convention but left with shattered expectations, she told the Lynnwood Times.
“The experience every single day was almost indescribable, how it felt to be in a room and know that history was being made, to have that front seat,” said Kwon. “Something crazy good was always going on. One morning I just looked to my left and Lester Holt was sitting right there, I saw Nancy Pelosi being interviewed by Dana Basch on CNN, there was so much stuff that you see on TV but to get to see the behind the scenes and see it all in person was really, really, cool.”
Each morning started with a delegation breakfast beginning around 7 a.m. where delegates and alternates alike were presented their credentials for the day. These breakfasts were also an opportunity to hear from local elected officials including Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Representative Kim Schrier (WA-08), Washington Governor Jay Inslee, and even speakers from other states including Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Congressman Maxwell Frost (FL-08), as well as labor and union members.
During her time Kwon also had the opportunity to meet several other elected officials including U.S. Secretary of Interior Debb Haaland, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and tons of members of Congress.
After that Kwon and her colleagues were off to downtown Chicago’s McCormick Place to attend caucus and council meetings. Kwon attended the Women’s Caucus and the API caucus, where Tim Walz made a surprise appearance. Kwon informed the Lynnwood Times she would have loved to attend more caucuses if her schedule allowed her to do so but her day-to-day was already jam-packed with events from essentially 7 a.m. until 1 a.m. the next day.
Also during the convention at McCormick Place was an event called DemPalooza full of vendors and grassroot activist organizations sharing their message.
Later in the day at Chicago’s United Center, Kwon had the opportunity to vote on the floor at the among approximately 5,000 other credentialed delegates and several more alternatives sitting above in the risers. That experience, she shared, was “palpable” and “electric.”
“I spoke to some people who had been to six [democrat] conventions before and they were saying this was the most excitement-filled convention they’ve attended,” said Kwon. “It was just such a special convention to attend for a lot of different reasons, obviously the circumstances unprecedented in American politics and the history making but also the quality of Kamala Harris’ candidacy.”
A common theme of the week, Kwon added, was patriotism which she said the Republican party has weaved into their platform narrative recently.
“It just goes to show that we’re just as patriotic and we love our country just as much,” said Kwon.
Although Kwon is still one year shy of being legally allowed to vote. that hasn’t stopped her from doing everything she can to promote her party preference. She has been canvassing since the summer and working to stir political interest in fellow high schoolers as Chair of the Washington High School Democrats. The work is arduous at times, she said, but riding the “volt of energy” from the DNC has her ready to put the petal to the metal.
“Being able to meet with so many activists across the country and to hear what they were doing was really empowering and it definitely made me excited to do everything I can to ensure we elect Kamala Harris,” said Kwon. “That work isn’t always glamorous – knocking on doors – but the convention really just emphasized how we do need to do that work. It really got us all hyped up to put our nose to the grindstone and do that work every day until the election.”
Kwon was only in fourth grade when Donald Trump was elected as president in 2016, an event that originally piqued her interest in getting involved with politics. Now, eight years later, she informed the Lynnwood Times that she feels something special in Kamala Harris’ candidacy and wants to do everything she can to be a part of making history.
Harris appeals to Kwon, and several other people her age, because of her commitment to climate action—founding an office of Environmental Justice as Attorney General and supporting the Green New Deal as Senator—as well as women’s rights, reproductive freedom, restoring affordable homes and healthcare, and other policies.
During Kwon’s time at the DNC, she had the opportunity to see Kamala Harris speak twice—once during a surprise appearance on Monday when current President Joe Biden ceremoniously “passed the torch” to her, and again during her speech when she accepted the Democrat’s official nomination as Presidential candidate. In both instances Kwon noted that Harris’ speech really shined a light on the contrast between her and Trump and how fit Harris is to be our nation’s first ever female President.
While the convention was exciting there was a gravity to its closing day, Kwon said, where now that the fun had been had, the real work begins leading up to the General Election.
Kwon has been involved in politics since freshman year of high school when she enrolled in the High School Democrats of America, only increasing her involvement each year since. Her experience at the DNC has only cemented her love for politics and the Democratic Party. She plans to attend The University of Washington this fall to study Political Science and hopes to pursue a career in politics.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
