Convention Report: Young Kucinich delegate makes life-long commitment
A convention report from the Kucinich website:
When Jessica Beckett, a 19 year-old from Poulsbo, Washington , first showed up to her precinct level caucuses, she hadn't heard much about Dennis Kucinich. In fact, she started out as a Kerry delegate, but after learning more about Kucinich – and discovering he better represented her views – she switched over.
After being selected to represent her precinct, Beckett, who was forced to put college on hold after just one year because of tuition debt and now works full time, continued on through the legislative-district and congressional-district levels, and finally, the state level, which allowed her to represent Washington at the Democratic National Convention in Boston .
Jessica, who is multi racial, dresses like an 'activist' and wears her hair in dreadlocks, understands why she was chosen time and again at each step in the caucus process. "Superficially, I look like someone the Democrats want in the Party – the protestor," she said, acknowledging that she, and others like her, don't always identify with the Democrats. "The Democrats want them represented in the Party, and I want them represented."
At a meeting with all of his delegates Saturday to discuss how the delegates could show support for Kerry and still send a message to the Democratic Party, the candidate listened to the pleas of his delegates, who were unanimously in favor of casting their roll call vote for Kucinich. Though most others in the room far surpassed her in age and experience, it was Jessica – one of the youngest Kucinich delegates and a newcomer to electoral politics – who drove their point home, received a standing ovation and brought some to tears.
"There are friends of mine in Iraq who believe in you, don't ask me to vote against my conscience," she implored, "Please let me vote my heart." At that moment, Dennis stood up, walked over to her, and embraced her.
Beckett, who had never before seen Kucinich speak in person, described her encounter with the man as "affirming."
"I chose the right candidate," she said, "he speaks from the heart."
Beckett's friends back home might not understand what she's doing here in Boston , but according to her, it means something to them that there's a politician who speaks the words they are thinking.
For this young woman, who represents an energized, active constituency that the Democratic Party cannot necessarily claim as their own, the experience of being a national delegate for Kucinich will keep her involved in politics "for the rest of her life."
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