Stephanie McGowan | Unprecedented: Stories from the 2024 DNC

Stephanie McGowan is a delegate from New Jersey and council president for the borough of Rutherford.

“We are at a crossroads in this country. I remember the day after the 2020 elections and knowing that there was hope; something that so many of us were so afraid of continuing the way we had gone under Trump,” McGowan said. “When this conversation started, I thought about just how sensitive in nature this was. This was bigger than a woman being on top of the ticket, which I'm sure some want this to be about. It's really about kindness, humanity, understanding, dignity.”

McGowan's daughter asked her to wear the sparkly cowboy hat, saying, "One, women deserve to sparkle and shine, and you're going to be in a room where we need you to sparkle and shine for all the girls in New Jersey. And then very emotionally, she said to me, you need to wear that hat, because Vice President Harris is about to sparkle and shine as the president of the United States."

Unprecedented examines the backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives of Massachusetts attendees and others at the 2024 DNC in Chicago, Illinois.

For more stories from the DNC by photographer Barry Goldstein, visit https://www.nepm.org/dnc2024

New England Public Media: https://www.nepm.org