Uncommitted DNC delegates hold sit-in to demand Palestinian American speaker Thursday
CHICAGO (CBS) -- As Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to accept her party's nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention, a group of uncommitted delegates has organized a sit-in outside the United Center, demanding that a Palestinian American be allowed to speak on stage Thursday evening.
The group said their request to speak at the DNC this week was denied outright, but they were continuing a sit-in in hopes party leadership would change their mind.
The uncommitted delegates began their sit-in Wednesday night, when they got official word that a Palestinian American speaker would not be given a spot on the stage, a decision they called "unacceptable" and "undemocractic."
"The exclusion of a Palestinian American from the stage felt so deeply offensive, so deeply shocking that it left us stunned," said Abbas Alawieh, an uncommitted delegate from Michigan.
Alawieh is part of a group of 30 uncommitted delegates from across the country sent to the Democratic National Convention by an overwhelming number of voters who voted "uncommitted" in the primaries as part of an internal party protest against the United States support of Israel. The movement started in Michigan, where more than 100,000 people voted "uncommitted" during the primary in protest of President Joe Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
The group's goal in Chicago is to shed light on policy changes they believe are necessary to halt U.S. funding and arms shipments supporting Israel's war in Gaza.
They are also calling for a ceasefire, in addition to getting a pro-Palestinian voice on stage, especially after the family of an Israeli American kidnapped by Hamas was given time to speak at the DNC on Wednesday, but the group has been told that isn't going to happen.
"We got a call last night saying the answer is no. When we asked why, they said the answer is no," Alawieh said. "We think excluding a Palestinian American from the stage would be a silencing and exclusion that is not in line with who we are as Democrats."
Many supporters of the uncommitted delegate movement continued to push back at the party's decision at back-to-back events Thursday morning at McCormick Place.
They said Democratic Party leaders are missing an opportunity to bring the party together, something that could be pivotal in November.
"It's wrong on so many levels, and enough is enough. So we'll do whatever it takes to make sure that our voices are heard," said June Rose, an uncommitted delegate from Rhode Island.
The United Auto Workers union also has called for the Democratic Party to allow a Palestinian American to speak Thursday night at the DNC.
"If we want the war in Gaza to end, we can't put our heads in the sand or ignore the voices of the Palestinian Americans in the Democratic Party," the UAW said in a post on X. "If we want peace, if we want real democracy, and if we want to win this election, the Democratic Party must allow a Palestinian American speaker to be heard from the DNC stage tonight."
Representatives for the DNC and the Harris campaign said they have had plenty of engagement with the uncommitted delegates over the past couple of months, but would not specify why they wouldn't agree to a Palestinian American speaker at the convention.
The Harris campaign said it's not taking the Arab-American vote for granted. They insisted they are committed to ending the conflict and advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The uncommitted delegates said they have no plans on ending their sit-in, and will remain at the United Center until they get a call that a Palestinian American can speak.