I remember sitting on my coach finally being able to catch up on what was happening with American politics – because I can’t ever stay on top of the latest arguments – when I saw a familiar face appear across the screen. John Legend, what are you doing at the Democratic National Convention (DNC)? My initial thought was that the wrong channel was on because I thought this was some sort of political event meant for politicians to attend. 

However, I guess featuring a handful of iconic artists like John Legend and P!NK is one way to get an American’s attention. It worked though because that’s how I usually got enough motivation to stick around and listen to speaker after speaker.

The convention itself just wrapped up in Chicago’s United Center a few days ago. The convention was held from August 19 through the 22, and it featured a ton of speakers that you may or may not have heard of before. 

But if you’re anything like me, your schedule is packed, and keeping up with political events can feel overwhelming. Despite the challenge, I make an effort to follow key events like the DNC to stay informed. From what I observed, there are two major takeaways from this year’s convention: the importance of introductions and the surge of excitement.

First things first, why do we need introductions if we already know who these people are?

Well let’s take a step back for a moment; it’s usually easier to understand the convention when you know why it even exists. I spoke to both AP Government teacher Tim Beishir and U.S. History teacher Mike Sebestyen, and they both pointed out that the convention’s original purpose was to select the nominee for the presidential race. 

“Today it’s much more of a pep rally coronation of who was picked by the primary voters,” said Sebestyen.

Sebestyen thoroughly explained that because most states hold primaries, everyone basically knows who the candidates are by the time the conventions’ occur for either party. 

It’s really no shock though, that this convention is a bit special compared to past ones. We all are aware that Biden stepped down from the presidential race on July 21, 2024. Furthermore, I think we all knew deep down that Kamala Harris was going to the top pick for a nominee following Biden.

Let’s be real though, what do you really know about Harris? She was vice president. I mean that’s about all I know if we are being honest with ourselves.

Another name you might not know – because I had no clue who this man was – is Tim Waltz, governor of Minnesota. Unless you are secretly living in Minnesota, you definitely haven’t heard much about him. 

But that’s exactly the problem the democrats faced prior to the convention. As Beishir pointed out, we usually know who candidates are coming into the race. People knew who Obama was, just as people knew who Trump was when he ran back in 2016. 

You’re probably wondering, how did they thoroughly introduce these people within the span of four days? Well I’ll tell you how, four nights of special, keynote, speakers.

Beishir referred to these people as the bench, which would make you think that they sit around and do nothing, but the bench is actually not full of people who do nothing. They are the key figures of the party who the people of America already know. The best example I can give you is Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama. Both are already respected by the public; thus, they gave excellent speeches about what Harris and Waltz’s visions for the party are.

But you definitely didn’t need the big speakers to feel a connection to the candidates. Beishir said he felt a connection to when Tim Waltz was being introduced simply because he could relate to him. 

“I’m a social studies teacher who coaches football and… him being introduced to speak by his high school football players… I felt, I mean, that moment,” said Beishir. 

The next step of the convention was quite logical: connect Americans with the candidates. We all know this process well. A teacher says introduce yourself to your neighbors, and after exchanging names, most of us begin to talk about things we have in common. 

The democratic party used influencers to connect to the American youth by purposefully setting out stations for influencers to create content (according to a New York Times article).

Thus, the excitement aspect of the convention is revealed. Sebestyen points out that a lot of Americans were nervous that they would be in another 2020 situation: Trump vs. Biden. Now, Sebestyen believes that there is a new wave of excitement following Harris stepping up

“They have a new candidate [that] brought a wave of energy… [to Americans] it’s something different,” said Sebestyen. 

Bisher adds that a DJ was there playing songs that represented each state, and overall keeping the convention from being “what’s normally [a] kind of dull and dry” event. Let’s also not forget about those surprise performances either like – you know – John Legend. 

As the excitement of the convention winds down, and we all anxiously count down the days until the election, both Bisher and Sebestyen encourage Prospect students to go out and do their own research before making any conclusions. 

“There’s facts and there’s lies or opinions… The more you educate yourself, the better off you’re going to be in the long run,” said Sebestyen.