Mayor William Bell today responded to national media inquiries regarding the Republican wave that swept midterm elections and how it impacts Birmingham’s chances for hosting the Democratic National Convention in 2016. Questions focused specifically on the sweep impacting New York City’s chances of hosting the DNC, but gave the Mayor the opportunity to speak on Birmingham’s blue heart in a red state.
“Without the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham the bulk of the Democratic leadership would never have had the opportunity to lead. Voters need to be reminded that just 50 years ago, we did not yet have the Voting Rights Act. Just slightly over 50 years ago, we were still segregated,” said Mayor William Bell.
“The beauty of a democracy is that it gives everyone a voice if they choose to speak up and speak out. We need political parties that give a voice to the voiceless and hope to the hopeless. The Democratic National Convention coming to Birmingham in 2016 would remind the whole party of their roots and what it means to fight and struggle for the right to vote and how that right can never be taken for granted,” Bell continued.
Birmingham, along with four other cities, is in the running to host the 2016 Democratic Convention in which delegates of the United States Democratic Party will choose the party’s nominee for President of the United States. Birmingham is considered an underdog, but has shown that its message is strongest and encapsulates the future of the Democratic Party.
