CHICAGO — Wisconsin delegates have been on the go all day for the beginning of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Nadiyah Johnson is one of those delegates. The Milwaukee representative is experiencing her first political convention and reporter Mariam Mackar got to tag along.
“I am so full of positive energy,” said Johnson.
From the early morning on Monday, she was ready to hit the ground running
“This is my first time being a delegate so I’m really just eager to learn and see how the whole entire process works.”
Watch: Wisconsin Delegate takes NBC26 through day one of Democratic National Convention
Johnson is a Milwaukee native who runs an online tech hub working to make the technology industry more inclusive.
She tells Mackar she's excited to be in the Windy City on behalf of her community.
“I think representation matters. So, being a woman of color, young, and representing a community of technologists, I want them to see how important it is to be involved in this democratic process,” said Johnson. “And one way to lead is by doing.”
And she made sure to do as much as she could on day one. After breakfast, she went to her first Black caucus meeting where speakers like VP nominee Tim Walz took the stage.
“That was very exciting to hear him and his perspective,” Johnson said. “I don’t know why I was thinking there would be maybe a hundred or so folks there, but there was way more than that!”
From there she went to a panel based on women in technology.
“They were talking a lot about deep fakes and how it’s impacting women and how AI is also impacting the Democratic process.”
She says she's already learning lessons to bring back home to Milwaukee— and that's all before the main convention events even started.
NBC26 will be following Wisconsin delegates during their time in Chicago all convention week.
