From the Ground Up! A Movement for New Leadership (written on 11/03/08)

As I sit in the Obama for America-San Diego headquarters, I am amazed by the constant crowd of people coming through the door. They are old and young, black, white, latino/a, asian, and every mix in between. There is no identifying factor, other than they support a Black American for one of the most prestigious leadership positions in the world, President of the United States. I had doubts until yesterday when I showed up here to 'help out'.

Sure, I saw all the rallies and speeches on TV. I even joined and volunteered in the early days of the campaign, leading the rally downtown to welcome Obama for his speech at the California Democratic San Diego. None of that and none of my work on other political campaigns could have prepared me for what I am witnessing today, nor yesterday. I can see the movement and let me tell you, it looks a lot different from the ground.

This really is a movement; people are talking about change in very tangible terms. Ending poverty, healthcare for all, and waging peace (as opposed to war) are just a few of the galvanizing topics that have people stepping out of their caves. People are using whatever means at their disposal to make a difference. From making calls to data entry to providing snacks to driving people to the polls, for the workers, each person is committed to making sure Barack Obama wins this election.

The Obama movement has restored hope in the promise of America and Barack Obama has given life to the dream that many of us, African-Americans or not, have had; that one day we, as ordinary people, can grow up and become president. This is bigger than one campaign, one man, or one american. This election is to restore hope in a nation that asked for the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses of the world. It is time for America to live up to its promise! YES WE CAN! VOTE BARACK OBAMA!