Brayden Harrington might not be a name you had heard before last night, but chances are you know all about the 13-year-old now. Brayden delivered a powerful speech last night at the Democratic National Convention, and his story is making waves all over the internet today.
In a video that has so far been viewed more than 2 million times, Brayden urges people in the United States to vote for his friend, presidential candidate Joe Biden. It turns out that Brayden and Joe have a pretty powerful connection: like Mr. Biden, Brayden also has a stutter.
Joe Biden and Brayden first met in New Hampshire back in February 2020, which truly feels like a lifetime ago. When Joe found out that Brayden has a stutter, too, he took the child under his wing and shared the tips that he's used for decades to combat his own stutter.
In his speech, Brayden noted, "Without Joe Biden, I wouldn't be talking to you today. It was really amazing to hear that someone like me became vice president."
Brayden also included an emotional plea to everyone who is old enough to vote in the United States this year.
"Kids like me are counting on you to elect someone we can all look up to, someone who cares, someone who will make our country and the world feel better."
People across the world praised Brayden's speech, and many stepped in to tell their own stories of combating a stutter or speech delay. Former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head while working in 2011, told Brayden, "Speaking is hard for me, too, Brayden. But as you know, practice and purpose help. Thank you for your courage and for the great speech."
Joe Biden has been quite open about his lifelong stutter. He has explained, "It has nothing to do with your intelligence quotient. It has nothing to do with your intellectual makeup. You know, stuttering, when you think about it, is the only handicap that people still laugh about. That still humiliate people about. And they don't even mean to."
He's also said that his mother helped him work toward not letting his stutter define who is. "Joey, don't let this define you. Joey, remember who you are. Joey, you can do it. So every time I would walk out, she would reinforce me. I know that sounds silly, but it really matters."
Joe Biden has worked in public office for his entire career, and he has given countless speeches during that time. Working with his stutter has always been part of the process. The Guardian reports that Joe even took the time to share how he does this with Brayden, which helped the young boy immeasurably.
"When Biden, a fellow stutterer, learned about Harrington's speech difficulties at the rally, he invited him backstage. There, Biden showed him the speech he had just delivered and the annotations he used to signal when to breathe, and gave him advice and exercises for overcoming his stutter."
Brayden's father, Owen, also noted that Joe Biden did more than just offer tips. "He put his focus on Brayden and made time for him, talked to him, explained that it doesn't define him, he's stronger, that he's a good person. It was really overwhelming for [him]. He started breaking down a little bit."
In 2011, Joe wrote an essay for People about his stutter:
"I never had professional therapy, but a couple of nuns taught me to put a cadence to my speaking, and that's why I spent so much time reading poetry — Emerson and Yeats. But even in my small, boys' prep school, I got nailed in Latin class with the nickname Joe Impedimenta. You get so desperate, you're so embarrassed."
Joe has even embraced the condition, which might surprise some who are not familiar with disability positivity. Joe Biden's stutter is part of who he is and should be celebrated as such.
"God's gift to me was my stuttering," he said while speaking at an event for the Lab School of Washington.
Thankfully, Joe had tremendous parents who made sure to never make fun of his disability or to let him feel too badly about it. "Time and time again," he said, "my parents taught me that being different is no barrier to success. And the measure of a man isn't how often he is knocked down but how quickly he gets up."
He's offered this bit of advice to the Stuttering Foundation of America:
"If I could share one piece of advice with all of those struggling with a stutter, it would be this: When you commit yourself to a goal and when you persevere in the face of struggle, you will discover new strengths and skills to help you overcome not only this challenge, but future life challenges as well. I promise you — you have nothing to be ashamed of, and you have every reason to be proud."
