Mothers of the Movement @ DNC16: ‘I am an unwilling participant’

Nine women gave their moving testimony on the dais of the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia:

Nine African-American women who lost their children to police and vigilante violence walked on to the stage at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center with giant red roses affixed to their chests — just above their hearts — and delivered a series of moving testimonies about their lost children and their endorsement of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Geneva Reed-Veal, mother of Sandra Bland

“One year ago, yesterday, I lived the worst nightmare can imagine,” the mother of the 28-year-old woman who was illegally pulled over and jailed on her way to a brand new job in Texas. Bland died three days after being booked at the county jail for allegedly assaulting an officer. Her funeral was one year ago.

Reed-Veal commanded silence from the room that had just seen a walk-out by a contingent of disgruntled Bernie Sanders delegates to say the names of six other women who died in police custody the same month Bland passed away in 2015.

“I am here with Hillary Clinton because she is a leader who will say our children’s names.”

“What a blessing to be standing here,” Reed-Veal said, choking back tears, “so that Sandy can still speak through her mama.”

Lucia McBath, mother of Jordan Davis

“I lived in fear that my son would die like this,” the mother of the 17-year-old gunned down in a Florida gas station for playing loud music.

“You don’t stop being a parent when your child dies,” McBath said. “I am still Jordan’s mom.”

“Hillary Clinton isn’t afraid to say ‘Black Lives Matter,’” McBath told the crowd. “She isn’t afraid to sit a table with grieving mothers and bare the full force of our anguish.”

“Not only did she listen to our problems, she invited us to be part of the solution. And that is what we are going to do.”

Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin

The final speaker from the group was the mother of the most famous victim of Stand Your Ground.

“This isn’t about being politically correct. This is about saving our children,” Sabrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin told the crowd.

“I am an unwilling participant in this movement,” she said, noting that the fight for reform is as much about the memory of Trayvon as it is about the life of her other son, Jahvaris: “So that this heartbroken club stops growing.”

By: dave-dr-gonzo

David Hirsch, a.k.a. Dave "Doctor" Gonzo*, is a renegade record producer, video producer, writer, reformed corporate shill, and still-registered lobbyist for non-one-percenter performing artists and musicians. He lives in a heavily fortified compound in one of Manhattan's less trendy neighborhoods.

* Hirsch is the third person to use the pseudonym, a not-so-veiled tribute to journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson, with the permission of his predecessors Gene Gaudette of American Politics Journal (currently webmaster and chief bottlewasher at Liberaland) and Stephen Meese at Smashmouth Politics.