By Marcia Morgado

Leadership was the theme of Night 2 at the DNC 2020. Actor Tracy Ellis Ross, star of Black-ish, introduced to viewers the program: “Steady, inclusive leadership. Driven by people who understand that our democracy is based on the value of each and every one of us being treated with dignity and respect.”

It was a night centered around how the former vice president fine-tuned his skills, first at the US Senate, working with colleagues on both sides of the political divide, honing his innate talent to build consensus around common ground. A natural bridge-maker, Biden steering style evolved from his empathy and good nature, willingness to listen, and honest, well-meaning approach with a dose of humor. These qualities are exemplified by his friendship with Senator John McCain, as seen in An Unlikely Friendship, the video narrated by his widow, Cindy McCain.

The roll call provided an opportunity to hear and view voters and delegates from all 57 states and territories. While delegates cast nominating votes, we enjoyed the majestic breadth and depth of the United States. 

The computerized voice of attorney Ady Barkan introduced one of the most poignant sequences of the night. Diagnosed with ALS in 2016, he didn’t give up and works as an advocate for single-payer healthcare with Be a Hero PAC and the Center for Popular Democracy. And he urged us “not only to vote, but to make sure that our friends, family, and neighbors vote as well.”

Dr. Jill Biden’s presentation was taped at Brandywine High School in Delaware, where she taught. From her vantage perspective of mother and educator, she delved into losses, difficulties, and fears faced by parents and teachers at a time of COVID-19. “As a mother and a grandmother, as an American, I am heartbroken by the magnitude of this loss, by the failure to protect our communities, by every precious and irreplaceable life gone. Like so many of you, I’m left asking, ‘How do I keep my family safe?”‘

She retraced the life shared with her husband and children, the joys and sorrows they faced, with love as the binding ingredient. “Love makes us flexible and resilient. It allows us to become more than ourselves together. And though it can’t protect us from the sorrows of life, it gives us refuge, a home.” Reflecting admiration at her husband’s ability to face tragedy with grit and faith, not allowing it to define him, she elaborated: “How do you make a broken family whole?” she asked. “The same way you make a nation whole, with love and understanding and with small acts of kindness, with bravery, with unwavering faith.”