I was at home. The heat that the day brought Oakland had myself and all of my neighbors with their windows open, television sets turned up and tuned into Barack Obamas acceptance speech. And that, for me, sent shivers up my spine.
We are all a witness to history.
The Oakland Tribune's full story below:
Oakland abuzz over Barack Obama nomination Sees Obama as bringer of
change and symbol of overcoming racism
Angela Woodall Oakland Tribune
Article Launched: 08/28/2008
10:30:23 PM PDT
"I accept your nomination as president of the United
States."
Those few words from Barack Obama, who made history Thursday as the
first African-American presidential nominee of a major political party, sent
shivers up spines and drove the audience gathered at Geoffrey's Inner Circle
in downtown Oakland to its feet.Their thunderous applause sounded like hope that change was on the way.
"He would make the world better," as Mierra Hopkins, 9, put it.
Indeed, Obama focused in his speech on moving forward, or at least taking a different direction than his opponent John McCain and the Bush administration, which "sat on its hands" while New Orleans was flooded three years ago. "It's time to change, and that's why I want to be president of the United States," Obama said. "Go ahead, Obama," shouted a woman in the back row. But Obama's proximity to the presidency also meant the "prayer of ancestors for freedom and prosperity in a land they were forced to call home, have been answered," said Bishop Keith Clark of the Word Assembly Baptist Church on MacArthur Boulevard.
"Now America has to look beyond our color," Clark added, "and judge us for our
achievements." The dream of racial equality, which began when the country was still segregated, is nearly realized, said Art Scott, a Denver native who was in the audience when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. told listeners during the Aug. 28, 1963, March on Washington that he had a dream — 45 years to the day before Obama's nomination speech. "I didn't think this would happen in my lifetime," the 70-year-old Scott said. His grandson, Austin Carrington-Scott, wearing a T-shirt commemorating Obama's candidacy and King's speech, said, "Obama inspired me. It would be pretty cool if he became president because the same thing could happen to me." This is a historic time, said Shonda Scott, the boy's mother, who
grew up during the Civil Rights era. "Just the possibility of Obama becoming
president is amazing," she said as dancers from Youth Uprising took the stage surrounded by posters bearing slogans such as "Recommit" and "Volunteer: Get Involved."
"I am proud to be alive and be part of this," said Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale at the packed gathering.
Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, who organized the gathering with local political and religious groups, said it was meant to recharge people's commitment to social justice and pay respect to leaders who made it possible for everyone to participate in the political process. They built the platform Obama will be standing on, Carson said. "This is a moment in history we couldn't let pass because it has been years in the making."Here's a video from a local citizen who attended the gathering at Geoffreys Inner Circle last night. He states his opinion about Obama.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1612844765/bctid1759867694
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