Wednesday's Democratic debate will be the first time the majority of participants aren't white
For the first time in presidential campaign history, the majority of the candidates on Wednesday night's debate stage in Detroit won't be white, Politico reports. That's all the more impressive considering the crowded stage will consist of 10 candidates.
Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who are black, will be joined by former Housing Secretary Julián Castro, the only Latino in the race, as well as Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), and entrepreneur Andrew Yang, who are of Pacific Islander and Asian descent, respectively.
Politico reports that the "timing couldn't be more striking," as the Democratic Party is currently undergoing an internal reckoning as its members examine the party's role in implementing policies that have historically contributed to racial inequality in American society. Racial identity could very well end up being discussed at length during Wednesday's debate.
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Former Rep. Bakari Sellers (D-S.C.), whose father worked on Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign in 1988, said that the 2020 primaries, with their emphasis on race, are an example of Jackson's efforts coming to fruition. "Black voters are no longer allowing you to give lip service, are no longer allowing you to do photo-ops or show up at the church the weekend before," Sellers said. "There's a lot of parallels to '88 and what Jesse attempted to do." Read more at Politico.
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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
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