Hundreds Watch Obama Make History With Convention Speech
Bridgeport News, Thursday, September 04, 2008
Written by Brad Durrell
Evelyn Wiggins watched history take place on television at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, later calling it "a big deal."
Wiggins, of Bridgeport, was one of about 250 people who gathered in the Mount Aery Baptist Church basement to watch Barack Obama give his Democratic presidential nomination acceptance speech on TV.
"I wouldn't have missed it," said Wiggins, who is African-American. "This has never been done before. We're going to show the world that a black man can do anything."
The event last week at Mount Aery, a predominantly black church in the city's Hollow neighborhood, was sponsored by the campaign of Jim Himes, Democratic candidate for U.S. 4th Distinct representative.
Wiggins said she was proud of Obama's accomplishment. "It's a plus for the African-American community," she said.
Obama is the first black candidate to win a major party nomination for president. He is a U.S. senator from Illinois.
The acceptance speech was shown live on two large screens in the front of the church hall. It was interrupted numerous times by applause, with the Mount Aery crowd clapping and cheering along with the party faithful at the convention in Denver.
"Eight is enough!" the church audience yelled in unison with the convention crowd on TV, echoing one of Obama's most memorable lines from the speech.
One of the oldest people in attendance at Mount Aery was Julia Moore, 93.
"I'm very excited. It's like a dream come true," said Moore, a Rhode Island resident who attended with her two daughters - Marilyn Moore and Michelle Moore, both of Bridgeport.
Marilyn Moore, who helped organize the event, lost a Democratic nomination for the state Senate on Aug. 12.
Surprised but pleased
Michelle Moore, who sat with her mother while her sister Marilyn mingled with people in the hall, was filled with anticipation as the speech neared.
"In my life, I didn't think I'd see this happen," she said. "Just to get this far is history."
Michelle Moore thinks Obama will win the Nov. 4 election. "He has a good chance, especially after Hillary and Bill's speeches," she said, referring to attempts by U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York and former President Bill Clinton to unify the party during the convention. Hillary Clinton was Obama's main opponent for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The broadcast of the speech was preceded by a free meal of chicken, corn bread, green beans, potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and salad.
A table was set up in the hall to sell Obama merchandise - T-shirts for $10, baseball caps for $10, and campaign buttons for 50 cents to $1. One button stated, "Christians for Obama."
The crowd was quite diverse ethnically, with about half being black and the rest white or Hispanic. They ranged in age from their early 20s to senior citizens.
A video message from Connecticut Democratic politicians in Denver for the convention - including Mayor Bill Finch and Bridgeport state Sen. Edwin A. Gomes - was played for the crowd before Obama's speech began.
Some local politicians present also spoke to the church audience, as did Himes.
State Rep. Charles "Don" Clemons of Bridgeport called the 2008 race "a presidential election of historic magnitude."
Himes, the last speaker before the Obama speech started at about 10:15 p.m., said people in the church hall would "be part of, and witnesses, to, American history."
Himes said the nation has come a long way since the national Democratic Party included civil rights language in its platform in the 1960s "and Southern delegations walked out."
Himes is challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays this fall.
"This is America"
Mattie Taylor of Bridgeport came with an adult son to watch the speech at the church.
"It's history to me, and that's why I'm here" Taylor said.
Taylor, an African-American, said she has long believed a black candidate would one day have a realistic chance of being elected president. "This is America," said Taylor, who grew up in North Carolina and said racism today is much less prevalent than when she was young.
Taylor said she thinks an Obama victory will bring big changes. "We're ready for the change he's talking about," she said, adding another of her sons had trouble getting a job when home from college this summer due to the weak economy.
Andrew Seal, a young Web site designer from New Haven, called Obama's success "symbolic of how the country has progressed. It's fantastic the country has caught up with where it should be."
He's also upbeat on Obama's chances in the election. "For many of us, he represents the kind of leader we need at this moment," said Seal, who is white. "He's not bound to the same missteps of the past."
