By Monique Jones
The Birmingham Times
The results of Tuesday’s roll call at the Democratic National Convention made it official: Hillary Clinton became the country’s first female presidential nominee.
A video presentation, which played at the end of Tuesday night’s events, made a visual case for why Americans, particularly undecided women, should support Clinton’s historic campaign. The video showed images of every American president—all men. The images then shattered, revealing a live feed of Clinton, positioning herself as the next president.
Clinton, surrounded by women and hugging a young girl, spoke to the audience. “What an incredible honor that you have given me, and I can’t believe we just put the biggest crack in that glass ceiling yet,” she said. She reiterated her historic nomination with a special message to girls. “…[I]f there are any little girls out there who stayed up late to watch, let me just say I may become the first woman president, but one of you is next.”
It was expected for Clinton to cinch the official nomination, but throughout the day Tuesday, eyes were on former Democratic presidential candidate, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders has had difficulty wrangling his most fervent supporters who refuse to support Clinton and want only Sanders nominated.
Sanders made his most overt call for unity yet, when, after the Vermont delegation pledged their votes for Sanders, Sanders motioned for Clinton to secure the nomination by acclamation.
The motion prompted a walkout of some of Sanders’ supporters. Vermont delegate Shyla Nelsa told USA Today that the walkout signified a key frustration for some of the voters. “Many, many of our constituents all over the country feel that their voices have not been adequately heard in this process,” she said. Another grievance supporters have is the leak of DNC emails, which seem to show evidence of the committee appearing to sabotage Sanders’ campaign.
Despite the threat of disunity, Clinton was able to inspire many at the convention. Arizona delegate Rebecca Wininger told CNN, “We made history today by nominating the first woman for president. To be part of that moment was inspiring, overwhelming.”
