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Delegates with the Uncommitted movement at the Democratic National Convention have continued pushing this week for either a Palestinian American or a doctor who has volunteered in Gaza to be allowed to speak on the main stage of the arena. There are thirty uncommitted delegates at the DNC representing the hundreds of thousands who voted uncommitted in lieu of supporting President Joe Biden’s primary campaign. They have been calling for a ceasefire and a halt to arms transfers to Israel while in Chicago. As we reported on August 1, the Uncommitted movement has also been continually requesting a speaker for the main stage.
Last night, national Democrats denied their request for a speaker. Yesterday, ceasefire delegates began a sit-in to continue pushing for a brief speaking slot tonight.
Those concerned about the war in Gaza have been able to hold an unprecedented panel on Palestinian human rights. And at a press conference on Tuesday organized by the Uncommitted movement, doctors told heartwrenching stories of what they’ve seen. But they have not been allowed to address the convention as a whole.
On Wednesday evening, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg gave a moving speech from the main stage about their son Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was taken hostage during Hamas’ attack on October 7. Uncommitted activists supported the decision to provide an opportunity for a hostage family to speak at the convention. But they believe it is also important for delegates and voters to hear from someone who can speak to the suffering in Gaza, where more than 40,000 people have been killed, according to the local health ministry.
Mother Jones obtained the speech that Georgia State Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Palestinian American and Democrat, is still hoping to give.
Romman has been a vocal and prominent activist for Uncommitted. Waleed Shahid, a strategist for the movement, said that she was among a list of potential speakers given to national Democrats. Initially, the Uncommitted movement pushed for Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a pediatric intensive care doctor who volunteered in Gaza, to speak. (She is not Palestinian.) Shahid said this request was denied earlier in the week. After, the movement sent a list of more names for potential speakers, including Rep. Romman. (Shahid said he heard that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s office was pushing for a speech from Romman.)
In an interview, Romman called herself a safe, last resort. “If an elected official in a swing state who is Palestinian cannot make it on that stage nobody else can,” she told Mother Jones.
Read the full article on Mother Jones
