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Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2008
IVER SITY
Seven days at the DNC Student is eyewitness to defining moment in US history
This is a firsthand account of the Democratic National Convention by NCCU political science junior Jabari Blackmon. While at the convention, Blackmon was elected as National Vice Chair of the Black Caucus for the College Democrats of America.
BY JABARI BLACKMON ECHO STAFF REPORTER
4:30 a.m., Aug. 22 RDU Airport We file into the Southwest Airlines ticketing station one by one, I and my 17 travel mates from across the state. A few black, few brown, few foreign. The dominant color, however, is not white, but blue. We are all College Democrats, coming together to cheer on our candidate at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in the Mile High City. The convention marks the official end of the primary season. Delegates from every state– individuals who ran to be delegates at each state’s convention in June — come to vote for a Democratic nominee. Symbolically, the convention is also a grand rally for the spirits of faithful Democrats to push for a victory. 6:30 p.m., Aug. 22 University of Denver Some 1,200 miles later, the North Carolina College Democrats descend into Denver. The convention won’t start until Monday, but we are there early for the College Democrats Convention, which runs parallel to the DNC this year. DNC Chairman Howard Dean enters the Four Seasons Hotel ballroom to erupting applause. Dean talks about the importance of this election and applauds Senator Obama for inspiring 200,000 Germans during his European tour in July. He wishes us a good con-
vention and leaves to even louder applause. Monday Aug. 25 Denver Convention Center At 5:35, the Youth Media coordinator calls to inform me that strings have been pulled to get two press passes for the Pepsi Center that night. Ascending the escalators from the main lobby into the perimeter of the arena is like stepping into a H o l l y w o o d / Wa s h i n g t o n heavyweight party. CNN’s Roland Martin munches nachos by the hall entryway; President Jimmy Carter strolls by with Secret Service detail; California Congresswoman Maxine Waters walks briskly to her seat with North Carolina Governor Mike Easley in tow; Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly waits for his pizza. We are whisked to an exclusive press entrance. Cameras flash in the crowd; onstage, LEDs and plasma screens create a masterful display. The Democratic Party’s elite sits to the left of the stage, facing the crowd of 20,000. Unbeknownst to us, our press passes do not allow access to the floor, but we are asked no questions as we walk onto the blue carpet and stride to the stage. The podium is a stone’s throw away. Each skybox has been converted into a studio for the world’s media: CNN, Fox News, ABC, NBC, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, BBC and the like. The lights dim, the stage lights up, and Caroline Kennedy walks out to resounding applause to introduce her uncle and Massachusetts senator, Ted Kennedy. The senator inspires us for a few minutes, leaving his benchmark quote: “Nothing is going to keep me away from this special gathering tonight!” The crowd goes wild. At 8:30 p.m., an introduction video illuminates 20foot-high screens above the
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Civic Engagement Task Force member Marquita McAlpine registers to vote for last May’s Democratic primary Courtesy of Jarvis Hall
Campus readies for historic vote Administrators, faculty, and students mobilize for Nov. 4 BY DANITA WILLIAMS Two shots taken during Michelle Obama’s opening speech Monday, Aug. 25 at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colo. JABARI BLACKMON/Staff Photographer
NCCU political science junior Jabari Blackmon at the DNC while Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) addresses the convention. JASON HOWARD/Student from St. Augustine College, Raleigh, N.C.
stage. We watch the love story of Barack and Michelle, the skinny guy with a funny name about whom Michelle jokingly asks, “Who would name their kid Barack Obama?” to a big laugh and resounding applause. The lights go up and the arena workers tell everyone to raise the Michelle signs which were passed out during the video. She steps out to electric applause. Michelle captivates America’s attention, paying homage to Hillary Clinton for those 18 million cracks in that glass ceiling. She ends with, “I love America!” bringing her daughters Malia and Sasha on stage for a picturesque pose, reminiscent of Princess Di standing with young Harry and William. 6:00 p.m., Aug. 26 Denver Convention Center The arena is electric with excitement about tonight’s speeches. As we enter Section 106, we aren’t as lucky as the other night. Security has finally had enough of the griping delegates and is strictly enforcing the floor passes-only rule. We have arrived a bit late, and by 7 p.m., the arena is full — no seats are left from the floor to nosebleed. We perch on a concrete ledge just under the press boxes, but to no avail, when security announces that Pepsi is filled beyond Fire Marshall regulations, we have to leave.
I watch Hillary’s speech in the hallway with a hundred other rejected attendees camped out in front of a flatscreen. 10:00 p.m., Aug. 26 Downtown Denver Some friends and I venture the mile-long walk from the Pepsi Center to downtown Denver to a few delegation parties. On our way, we are greeted by a Florida delegate named Karen Aronowitz, president of the United Teachers of Dade. She speaks candidly about the scandal in which the Florida democratic leaders scheduled their primary without national consent, and about the decision to seat only half the delegation. “What do you call half of a donkey?” she jokes. 4:00 p.m., Aug. 27 Denver Convention Center After running eight blocks through the streets of Denver in the heat of the day to get my credentials in time for President Clinton, we are there. There’s a rumor that the Secret Service is going to shut down the arena’s entries and exits earlier than usual, so we get to Pepsi four hours early. We quickly discover that everyone has figured this out and the place is packed yet again. We find a concrete terrace in the 350 Section overlooking center stage. At 8:15, Beau Biden intro-
n See DNC Page 5
ECHO STAFF REPORTER
Last Thursday, N.C. Central University adjunct instructor Gloria Drew grew so emotional that her voice quivered and tears welled up in her eyes, as she spoke to her sociology class about the importance of voting in November’s historic election. The class fell silent. Drew, who graduated from NCCU in 1963, spoke about the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement. “I really wish my parents were living to see this,” she said while reminding students of their responsibility to vote. According to Carlton E. Wilson, chair of the history department, the struggle for voting rights has been an enduring one for African Americans — one as old as the nation itself. Voting rights were only granted when the 15th Amendment passed in 1869. But even then, according to Wilson, blacks’ right to vote was denied “by a series of laws, practices, and especially violence.” Today, students, faculty and Chancellor Charlie Nelms are organizing to get students to vote. Student organizations like fraternities, sororities, SGA, and student chapters of Common Cause and the NAACP are all organizing to increase student voter turnout. At the forefront is political science associate professor Jarvis Hall, student adviser and director of the Institute For Civic Engagement and Social Change. Hall founded (ICESC) in 2006. Hall’s organization has formed a 20-member task force to register and educate student voters. The campus is located in Election District 49. The task force asked Chancellor Charlie Nelms to declare September “Eagle Voter Empowerment” (EVE) Month. To prevent overlap of responsibilities, campus voter education and registration efforts are being coordinated by the Student Senate, according to SGA vice-president Courtney Robinson. The Student Senate is also maintaining a log of registered student voters to make sure that everyone can make it to the polls on November 4. In an August 27 campuswide e-mail, Nelms called for a 100 percent student turnout in the elections.
“The November election will determine who will make critical decisions that will impact our lives from president, down to the local level,” wrote Nelms. Nelms urged faculty to discuss the importance of election in their classes and model good civic engagement by facilitating and supporting all EVE what is this? project activities. Students can register to vote every Tuesday and Thursday during 10:40 a.m. break at the following campus locations: FarrisonNewton Communications Building, the Eagle Landing/Ruffin Hall thoroughfare, and outside the Alfonso Elder Student Union. There will be a Voter Registration Rally at the Ruffin Hall amphitheater September 16, starting at 10:40 a.m. “What makes this election so significant is that young people are the future leaders,” said Marquita McAlpine, mass communication senior and member of the Civic Engagement Task Force. “Knowing this, Barack Obama is making sure that we are involved in the campaigning process.” she said. About 53 percent of Durham’s 164,129 registered voters voted in the November 2000 general election, according to Durham County Board of Elections In the November 2004 general election, the number of registered voters increased to 73.13 percent In the May 2008 presidential Democratic primary, a record 51.27 percent voted. This was 50,000 more than has ever voted in a Durham county primary. Durham County Board of Elections Director Mike Ashe expects about 130,000140,000 registered voters to vote in the November election. By law, early voting always starts the third Thursday before the election, and ends the Saturday before the election. There will be seven onestop sites operating from Thursday, Oct. 16 through Saturday, Nov. 1 for early voting. There will be an early voting site for NCCU at Holy Cross Church next to the temporary cafe. Mass communication sophomore Jasmine Overstreet said she plans to vote in November and
n See VOTE Page 5