If Kiara Wells were old enough to vote, she’d choose Barack Obama. At least she did get to stay up to watch the speech — and share an historic moment with a roomful of social-change activists in Fair Haven.
Ten-year-old Kiara (pictured with her mother, Shannon Bowers) was the youngest, and one of the most enthusiastic, of the Obama supporters who gathered Thursday night to watch Obama’s acceptance speech for the Democratic presidential nomination — and pledge continued action.
Thirty people came to Lee Cruz’s spacious, lovingly restored 150-year-old home on Clinton Avenue. They lined the walls of two rooms to watch two televisions set up for the occasion.
Read the text of Obama’s speech here. Click on the play arrow to watch it.
Cruz, an environmental and community-building organizer who works for the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, said he wanted to celebrate such a historic moment in U.S. history — the nomination for the presidency of the first person of color on a major party ticket.
“It’s great to share it with people. This crowd here is black, white, Hispanic, some from Fair Haven and some from out of town. And we’ve all come together to watch this incredible moment in the history of our country.”
Beyond celebrating, Cruz (pictured with his parrot, Bibi) said it was time to work hard to get Obama elected.
“I’m going to be organizing and encouraging people to vote here in my neighborhood, because we need to turn this country around and it’s going to happen one neighborhood at a time, so we’re starting here.” He announced that non-partisan voter registration would be part of the upcoming Chatham Square festival on Sept. 6.
The campaign asked those at these gatherings, which took place all over the country, to weigh in by text message on health care, the environment, education, the economy and the war in Iraq. The campaign was also asking people to sign up to volunteer.
Of the 20 people in the living room, just five said they’d already worked for Obama already. About 15 said they plan to work for him now.
People listened to Obama’s speech, nodding or murmuring in agreement and occasionally applauding enthusiastically. One Obama line that got them going: “I’ve got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first.” That was in response to an earlier attack by GOP presidentical candidate McCain on Obama’s patriotism.
Shannon Bowers said she’d done some phone banking for Obama; she plans to work more. She was asked if she is concerned about his move to the center on a number of issues since he clinched the nomination in June, such as government wiretapping, the death penalty, and offshore drilling. She said no. “I think for the first 18 months, anybody who comes into office will be cleaning up the Bush legacy, and then after that, I think he’s really going to start implementing the change he’s put forth in his platform. So I’m not concerned at all.”
Click here to listen to Obama’s closing words and the applause both at the site in Denver and at Cruz’s house.
Henry Lowendorf, chair of the Greater New Haven Peace Council, sat quietly and didn’t applaud. But he said afterward that he’s been working for Obama and will continue to do so. “I’ve been doing voter registration in the Hill and elsewhere, trying to build a constituency of people who don’t vote and should vote, and working with the peace movement too. A lot of people in the peace movement aren’t happy with the Democratic positions. Yet we absolutely have to elect Obama and prevent McCain from getting elected. The alternative is very scary. We can have serious disagreement with some of the Democratic policies, particularly on foreign policy, but we absolutely have to elect this guy, Obama, because the situation is far too dangerous to allow it to continue with Bush and McCain.”