Colorful banners in every hand, smiling speakers having to wait out raucous applause, these are the markers of celebration that Louisianans know well. This convention is full of joy. 

As President Joe Biden said in his speech last night, “Our best days are not behind us, they are before us.” Democratic delegates, myself included, sure aren’t gathered in Chicago to make America great again, we are here to get this party started!

From the kick-off breakfast to the caucus meetings, the most striking comparison between this and the other three conventions I have attended is the sheer energy of folks from across our nation excited to elect Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz. Whereas only a portion of the Republican party can enthusiastically stand behind their nominee, I am seeing the most diverse representation of our party yet invigorated by the hope that the future holds. What they have to offer their voter base is exclusion and fear, what we have to offer is momentum.

“A vote is a kind of prayer for the world we desire for ourselves,” Sen. Raphael Warnock told the crowd. His was the night-one speech that resonated for me the most. Like many others, he echoed the refrain, “We are not going back.” 

Through the civil rights movement, when we fight the environmental injustice that falls disproportionately on us, the South has long led the country in what it means not to tolerate anything less than progress. When President Biden visited Louisiana last week to address the injustices in Cancer Alley, he confirmed for us that the party understands this. 

A Harris administration won’t pander to polluting industries, the business elite, or coastal billionaires. She aims to represent us, so we must do our part to make sure we give her that chance. 

Just like Warnock’s home state of Georgia, Louisiana does not have to become a foregone conclusion. We are not a red state. We are a non-voting state. We are a state still struggling with voter suppression and the choke hold of a cruelly conservative legislature.

 As I attend the climate-focused, Black, queer and other caucus meetings of this convention, this is the message I have brought with me from home. Virginia wasn’t the last stop in 2008, Georgia wasn’t the last stop in 2020, and Louisiana does not have to be the last stop now. 

We can take the lessons this convention has delivered and apply them to our neighbors and friends–there is still a way to appeal to a diverse base if we stay focused on what is possible.

We can aim to recover a Democratic-led House and Senate in order to deliver on these promises for the people. We can commit to showing out and showing up to the polls ready to vote our entire ballots. There is nothing we cannot do when we do it together.

Davante Lewis represents District 3 on the Louisiana Public Service Commission. He was a delegate to the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.