Vice President Kamala Harris’ acceptance of the Democratic presidential nomination was the biggest event of this week’s party nominating convention, but there were several other highlights leading up to Thursday’s historic moment.
The final night of the Democratic National Convention was packed with programming, including Ms. Harris pitching her vision for a major party, gun rights advocates sharing their experiences and an onstage reunion for the “Scandal” cast.
Here are five notable moments from the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Kamala Harris makes big pitch for unity
While running on a platform that criticizes progressivism and centrism, Harris has sought to appeal to those outside the convention and outside her party, saying she would accept the nomination “on behalf of all Americans, regardless of party affiliation, race, gender or what language your grandma speaks.”
She also sought to find common ground within her own party, where Democrats have endorsed Harris as their candidate but there are still significant differences on some issues, the war between Israel and Hamas perhaps being the biggest one.
That division was also on display at the convention, where pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated outside the United Center and accused the DNC of refusing to accommodate pro-Palestinian speakers.
Harris focused on the conflict in her acceptance speech, striking a delicate balance between touting U.S. support for Israel and championing the rights of Palestinians.
“Let me be clear: I will always defend Israel’s right to self-defense and I will always ensure that Israel has the ability to defend itself,” Harris said to cheers from the crowd.
“At the same time, what has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months has been devastating. Many innocent lives have been lost. Desperate and hungry people have repeatedly fled in search of safety. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking,” she said, drawing applause.
“President Biden and I are working to end this war so that Israel is safe, the hostages are free, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination,” she said to thunderous applause and cheers.
Gun rights advocates speak out
One of the most moving moments of the night came when five gun control advocates and survivors took the stage to share their experiences and call for reform.
The issue has become a galvanizing one for Democrats, who have continually attacked Republicans over gun access.
Before supporters took to the stage, the rally aired a video criticizing former President Trump’s comments and past stances on guns.
Appearing on stage together were Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), who lost a son to gun violence, Sandy Hook High School shooting survivor Abby Clements, Kim Rubio, who lost a daughter in the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting, and gun violence survivors Melody McFadden and Edgar Vilchez.
“That horrific day is with me,” Clements said, fighting back tears. She said her colleagues and the first-graders killed at Sandy Hook Elementary “are still here.”
Rubio recounted the day leading up to the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, which began with his daughter, Lexi, receiving an Outstanding Citizen Award.
“Thirty minutes later, a gunman killed her, 18 of her classmates and two teachers,” she said.
“Uvalde is national news,” Rubio said. “Parents reach out for their children. I reach out for the child I’ll never get to hold again.”
McBath then called on Americans to take action against the violence through activism and running for office.
“Defeat doesn’t weaken us. It strengthens our resolve,” McBath said to applause. “We will secure the more secure future we all deserve. We will unite. We will speak up. We will run for office.”
Members of the Central Park Five appear on stage
Before the focus turned to gun reform, there was another poignant moment: members of the Central Park Five, wrongfully convicted of rape and assault, blasted President Trump in a speech at the convention.
In 1989, Trump took out a full-page ad in a New York newspaper calling for the death penalty for five boys, then between the ages of 14 and 16, who had been convicted of raping and assaulting a young woman while she was jogging in Central Park.
More than 30 years later, Yusef Salaam, Korey Wise, Raymond Santana and Kevin Richardson appeared onstage with civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton.
“45 wanted to keep us alive. He wanted to kill us. Today we are acquitted,” Salaam, now a New York City council member, said of Trump.
“He has never changed and he never will. He thinks hatred is what drives America. It’s not,” he said.
Elizabeth Warren is overwhelmed with emotion
When Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) took the stage to address Democrats, the room erupted in a lengthy standing ovation and she was visibly moved.
The applause, which lasted for more than a minute, overwhelmed Warren, and she held her hands over her chest, covered her mouth and rubbed her eyes as she looked out at the crowd.
The welcome was symbolic of Warren’s importance as a leader within the party, particularly to the progressive wing. It comes more than four years after she and Harris competed in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. Warren began her Thursday speech by talking about “what I love most about Kamala Harris.”
“Kamala Harris cannot be bought or commanded,” Warren said.
A former Senate colleague of Harris’ recounted the first time they met the vice president after the 2008 financial crisis.
“Donald was scamming Trump University students and trying to make money off people who had lost their homes. Kamala Harris stepped up,” Warren said.
‘Scandal’ reunion at the Democratic National Convention
“Scandal” fans rejoiced when stars of ABC’s “Scandal” Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn reunited on the convention stage, displaying their star power.
“I stand on this stage, but I am not the protagonist of this story,” Washington said, calling Democrats and Harris supporters “the superheroes of this story.”
“You guys are fixers. Dare I say it, you guys are Olivia Popes,” she said, referring to her character’s role as a political fixer.
Washington then asked someone to bring him a cell phone, and Goldwyn, playing Pope’s lover, President Fitzgerald Grant, showed up with one, eliciting cheers from the audience.
The two then joined the crowd in chanting, “If we fight, we will win!”
