On Wednesday, February 15 2017, current interim chair of the Democratic National Committee Donna Brazile returned to Medgar Evers College after acting as the keynote speaker at the 2016 graduation ceremony to talk about the changing political climate and what the public can do to influence the process.
DNC chair Donna Brazile said that she didn't come to Medgar Evers College just to celebrate Black History Month, but to make sure that people have heard the call to serve and are not waiting for "someone else" to call them or to serve for them. "This is not any hour that we've experienced as Americans or immigrants or refugees," said Brazile. "This is that moment Dr. King talked about in his sermon, The Fierce Urgency of Now, when he saw poverty rising, when he saw growing inequality, when he saw militarism and an unjust war; he didn't remain silent." Brazile asserted that when renowned civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King jr. saw all these things, he acted, and that is what the American public must do in present day.
Brazile made it clear that it is important that people be aware of the reality of fake news, real news, "weaponized" misinformation, stolen and hacked emails, and all the lies. Brazile clearly said that these lies are occurring in the highest of places, and it is a crisis that we have never experienced before in our lifetime, the foreign interference in the presidential election of 2016. The distribution of stolen and hacked emails should never have occurred, and the media was complacent. Instead of addressing the situation for what it was, the media reveled in it. In the chaos of hacked email scandals and misinformation, the media neglected to report key facts and occurrences, such as prominent DNC staff member Seth Rich being murdered in his home with no visible motive or suspect.
Brazile asserted that we as Americans need to know the truth instead of waiting for the truth to happen to us. "The revelation that the Trump campaign officials and associates had repeated contact with senior Russian intelligence officials during the 2016 campaign has now been revealed," she said. "Open your eyes people, more is coming." She went on to say that this is one of the biggest political scandals we have ever seen, possibly bigger than Watergate, and it is still occurring. Brazile said that a bipartisan, independent 9/11 style commission should be held because the Republicans do not want to investigate their own people. However, this is a situation that NEEDS an independent eye so we can get to the truth, the truth that Russian President Vladimir Putin knows, and is more than willing to spring on America. Brazile says we need to be informed before that happens.
Brazile stated that there was no reason why Clinton should have lost to Trump in states like Milwaukee and Wisconsin when Democrats had been previously favored in those areas, and the reason she believes it occurred is because the Democrats didn't speak enough to the yearnings and pleas of people. "We came up short because we had the better of the two, but we failed," Brazile said solemnly while referencing the Democratic party. "And for that, I am sorry." Brazile later said that during the election, people were silently saying that they didn't just want to hear why Donald Trump is so bad, they wanted to hear why Hillary Clinton was going to be better, and how she was going to bring more jobs, more education, and more relief. Brazile said we should have heard more of that discussion.
While Donna Brazile will be relieved of her duties as DNC chair the following week, she asserted that the DNC will continue to fight for the needs of the people. They have some work to do to revamp the Democratic National Party, but once this work is done, they will come back strong. "The fierce urgency of now tells us to resist the negativity as well as the lies, and not because we want confrontation," said Brazile after reading a passage from Dr. King's speech. We should have no problem putting aside partisanship in order to meet the needs of the day. We need to empower, we need to see the strength in unity, and we need to be ready for what comes. We cannot lose hope, and we cannot lose zeal, especially our young people, according to Brazile. The DNC and the people need to continue to be America's conscience.
"We should not get off the battlefield; when he says, 'build a wall', bans Muslims, or tries to repeal Obamacare and ram Draconian budget cuts down our throat, we respond with a "HELL NO." Brazile said that people must know that the actions of President Donald Trump can and will affect people's lives, no one is immune. Interim DNC Chair Donna Brazile ended the discussion with answering a few questions from the livestream chat, responding to a question of how to keep these values of democracy and integrity alive by saying, "remember people like Medgar Wiley Evers and what he stood and died for fifty years ago."
