From Auburn home, Dia Carabajal fulfills role as Democratic convention delegate
Robert Harding
August 19, 2020
AUBURN — It's not Milwaukee. It's not a packed arena.
For Dia Carabajal, her Democratic National Convention experience involves a laptop propped up on a piano in her living room.
Carabajal is one of seven central New York delegates to the Democratic convention. She is supporting Joe Biden, who is scheduled to accept the party's presidential nomination on Thursday.
The convention officially began Monday, but Carabajal attended some virtual events over the weekend. There was an American Federation of Teachers delegates meeting on Saturday. The guest speakers included U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus and was considered a top contender to join the ticket as Biden's running mate.
On Monday, the first day of the convention, Carabajal participated in the daily New York delegates meeting led by state Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs. She also joined meetings of the Hispanic and labor caucuses. The highlight of the Labor Caucus meeting, she said, was a speech by Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO.
"He had that rally rhythm. It was just a well-executed speech," she said at her Auburn home. "But you could just imagine what it would be like in a hall. There is a difference in the way that it makes you feel compared to being right in that room with the reaction."
The day's events concluded with the prime-time lineup of speakers — the portion of the convention that is televised. The headliner was former first lady Michelle Obama.
Carabajal started her Tuesday slate with the New York delegates meeting. The group heard from a pair of guest speakers — U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, and Tom Perez, a Buffalo native who is chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
There were two other sessions Carabajal planned to attend — a Rural Caucus meeting and the Council on Environmental and Climate Crisis — before the televised events.
This is Carabajal's first convention as a delegate and while it still has the features of a convention — the busy schedule and high-profile speakers — it doesn't have the same feel. That's a product of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the Democratic convention to be largely held online.
But it's not stopping Carabajal from appreciating the part she's playing in history.
"Because I'm such a political junkie anyway, I'm still finding it a valuable, moving experience and honor," she said. "I'm taking the responsibility very seriously. There are lots of things that, as a delegate, you could blow off. If I didn't show up, no one would know. But the responsibility that has been given to me is to be here to witness this on behalf of the people who voted me in. I'm here to witness this and to participate in it fully, regardless of whether or not we're in person."