We have long maintained a standard of neutrality in elections, choosing to focus on the issues rather than endorsing political candidates. This year won’t be any different. But in this week’s Democratic National Convention, there was one speaker that we can — and will — wholeheartedly endorse.
During the concluding session Thursday night, a two-minute segment was given to 13-year-old Brayden Harrington. The young teenager began his speech by introducing himself and recalling when he met Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden during a rally in Brayden’s home state, New Hampshire.
“He told me that we were members of the same club,” Brayden said of Biden.
“We ...” he continued, before struggling to finish his phrase. His eyes closed as he pronounced an elongated s, making a considerable effort to conclude the phrase: “We … stutter.”
Brayden continued his speech undeterred, hindered only occasionally by his speech impediment — but he portrayed his stutter as a strength, not a weakness. He told of how his stutter helped him forge a connection with Biden, who suffers from the same impediment. “It was really amazing to hear that someone like me became vice president,” Brayden said.
Political conventions are often marred by partisan jabs and hollow campaign promises, so hearing the words of a 13-year-old was refreshing. To Brayden, the Democratic nominee is a mentor and a friend. To us, Brayden is an inspiration.
Few children and teenagers were likely watching the DNC on Thursday (conventions aren’t necessarily prime television for young people). But as clips of Brayden’s speech make the rounds on social media — one such video already had 20,000 retweets by Friday afternoon — Brayden’s courage and confidence will shine as an example to America’s young people.
This has been a tumultuous year for all, regardless of age, and many young Americans have had an especially rough go with their schooling suspended and futures uncertain. When schools were prematurely closed in March, children and youth were left to learn from home, cut off from friends and typical activities. Later, when schools were released for summer break, the typical get-togethers with friends or extravagant vacations were downsized, or in many cases, canceled altogether.
Now, as some schools begin to reopen, students are able to reconnect with classmates and teachers. But many of them — especially those with speech impediments, hearing impairments or learning disabilities — may feel more excluded than ever. Online lessons or socially distanced classrooms are necessary precautions, based on circumstance, but like anything, there are both pros and cons. For many students, the adjustments can be especially difficult.
Those youths who may feel misunderstood, ignored, bullied or undervalued now have at least one more person they can look to for courage. Politics aside, Brayden had the bravery to stand in front of a national audience and speak — not with his disability as a hindrance, but showcasing his stutter as something that uniquely connects him to others.
“We all want the world to feel better,” Brayden said in his speech. “We need the world to feel better.” And in a world currently battling a deadly pandemic, many Americans expect election-year politics to only deepen our wounds. We all could use a little encouragement to lay aside divisiveness and stand strong in the best values America has to offer.