Willens was a member of the delegation representing the District of Columbia at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August 1968. Members of the delegation were originally pledged to Robert F. Kennedy, but Kennedy was assassinated in June 1968. Following his death, the delegation voted to nominate Rev. Channing E. Phillips, a Baptist minister and activist who was the leader of the delegation. Rev. Phillips became the first African-American to be nominated for president by a major party.