CHARLOTTE – The Democratic National Convention Committee and Obama for America today announced that First Lady Michelle Obama and San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro will speak at the 2012 Democratic National Convention’s opening night, Tuesday, September 4th, at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mayor Castro will be the first Latino keynote speaker at a Democratic National Convention.
“Having both the First Lady and Mayor Castro speak on the opening night of our convention will bring together two incredible leaders whose life stories both embody the promise of America, that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can make it,” said 2012 Democratic Convention Chair, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “The First Lady is an inspiration to millions of Americans, and has been a tireless advocate for military families and our nation’s children. As the person who knows him best, she will offer unique insights into the President as a husband, father and a leader over the last four years.”
“As mayor, Julián Castro has worked tirelessly to move San Antonio forward by building its economy from the middle out, not the top down, by putting the city on a path to being a leader in the new energy economy and making innovative investments in education to prepare San Antonio’s students for the jobs of the future,” continued Mayor Villaraigosa. “That’s the same vision forward for the middle class the President has, and it stands in stark contrast to Mitt Romney, who’s ready to return us to the same policies that crashed our economy.”
The DNCC will unveil additional convention program details and speakers in the coming weeks. The first two days of the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Tuesday, September 4 and Wednesday, September 5, will be held at Time Warner Cable Arena. President Obama will accept the Democratic nomination for President on Thursday, September 6 at Bank of America Stadium.
ABOUT MAYOR CASTRO A 37-year-old San Antonio native, Mayor Julián Castro is the youngest mayor of a Top 50 American city and is serving his second term as mayor of San Antonio, the nation’s 7th largest city. Raised by a single mother and educated in public schools on the working-class West Side of San Antonio, Mayor Castro and his identical twin brother, Joaquin, received bachelor's degrees from Stanford University before earning law degrees from Harvard Law School.
While Mayor, he has focused on attracting well-paying jobs in 21st century industries to the city, positioning San Antonio to be a leader in the New Energy Economy and raising educational attainment across the spectrum. Under his leadership, the city in 2010 opened Café College, a one-stop center offering high-quality guidance on college admissions, financial aid and standardized test preparation to any student in the San Antonio area. In 2011, those efforts resulted in the Milken Institute ranking San Antonio the nation’s top-performing local economy.
In March 2010, Mayor Castro was named to the World Economic Forum’s list of Young Global Leaders and Time magazine’s “40 under 40” list of rising stars in American politics. Mayor Castro also serves on the board of directors of the National League of Cities, is a member of the Inter-American Dialogue and is an Aspen-Rodel Fellow. In giving the keynote address, Mayor Castro follows other prominent Texans who have served in that role, including former Texas Gov. Ann Richards in 1988 and former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan in 1976 and 1992. He is married to Erica Lira Castro, an elementary school teacher, and they are the proud parents of Carina, born in 2009.
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