Black Lives Matter demands DNC host virtual primary
2024.07.23 09:30
By Gabriella Borter and Bianca Flowers
(Reuters) – Black Lives Matter is demanding the Democratic National Committee immediately host an informal, virtual snap primary across the country prior to the DNC convention in August, just hours after Vice President Kamala Harris secured enough delegates for the nomination.
“We call for the Rules Committee to create a process that allows for public participation in the nomination process, not just a nomination by party delegates,” BLM said in a statement provided to Reuters.
“The current political landscape is unprecedented, with President Biden stepping aside in a manner never seen before. This moment calls for decisive action to protect the integrity of our democracy and the voices of Black voters.”
The group, which is a decentralized political and racial justice movement that helped lead the protest movement that swept the globe in 2020, said that while President Joe Biden wasn’t their preferred candidate, “we cannot ignore the troubling actions of the Democratic Party.”
“Following the primary where millions of Black voters weighed in, after one poor debate performance, the DNC Party elites and billionaire donors bullied Joe Biden out of the race,” the group noted.
“Now, Democratic Party elites and billionaire donors are attempting to manipulate Black voters by anointing Kamala Harris and an unknown vice president as the new Democratic ticket without a primary vote by the public.”
BLM noted that while the potential outcome of a Harris presidency may be historic, “the process to achieve it must align with true democratic values.”
“We have no idea where Kamala Harris stands on the issues, now that she has assumed Joe Biden’s place, and we have no idea of the record of her potential vice president because we don’t even know who it is yet,” BLM said.
“This is not an attack on Kamala Harris or Black women, and right now we aren’t questioning Kamala’s qualifications or capabilities,” said Shalomyah Bowers, a Black Lives Matter leader. “This is about the nominating process.”
