Throughout the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, a group of dedicated Palestinians have been pushing to get a slot for someone from the community to speak on the DNC stage. On Wednesday evening, they finally got an official response that their request was denied. As they see it, with the Democratic Party claiming to equally value Palestinian and Israeli lives, and with the families of Israeli hostages having the opportunity to speak on stage, they believe there should be a Palestinian voice.
Even with hours to go, Palestinian Democrats continued to advocate for representation on the convention stage. Activists said they had provided the party with all the names of all Palestinian elected officials for them to choose from as a speaker. While Gaza was mentioned a few times during the convention, by the third night - there was no mention of Palestinians, even indirectly. However, some Israeli speakers talked about their captive loved ones.
At the end of Wednesday night's speeches, protesters had positioned themselves near the exit, as they read the names of Palestinian children who have died from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. Among those who attended the sit-in protest was Rep. Ilhan Omar. This is what she had to say.
