Jeremiah Ellison, an uncommitted delegate attending the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, told PBS News on Thursday that he wanted to see a Palestinian American speaker on the stage as a “sign of good faith” that Democrats and Vice President Kamala Harris value Palestinian lives as the war in Gaza continues.
“There’s a lot of pain in the region and we feel like if the party platform says that it does not value any life above another — it doesn’t value an Israeli life above a Palestinian life — we were asking them to demonstrate that by having both Israeli voices up on that stage and Palestinian voices,” said Ellison, who is also a member of the Minneapolis City Council and the son of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday denied a request by the uncommitted delegates for a Palestinian American speaker, prompting the group to hold a sit-in protest outside the convention hall.
“Ultimately I think we’re looking for policy change or at least a sign of good faith … and we didn’t see either this week,” Ellison said.
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