Roanoke, Virginia - For what or whom would you stand in line in the rain for over two hours? Anything? In Roanoke, Virginia yesterday thousands from counties all over Southwest Virginia did just that to attend possibly the first rally for a Democratic presidential candidate in these parts ever at the Roanoke Civic Center. Some were there as early as 6:30 a.m. and, despite getting soaked to the bone, their spirits remained high, reflecting their hopes for an Obama victory in November.
Who were these people making such a sacrifice of time and comfort on one of the gloomiest mornings we've had in this area for quite a while? What most impressed me as I stood in line were those people who were working this waiting line for the campaign. The majority were young -- some very young. They represented different congressional districts and walked tirelessly up and down the line actively recruiting volunteers to work on the Democratic campaigns. They were soaked but smiling and polite. And, they were succeeding in signing up volunteers.
As a teacher, I've seen young people motivated before but it has usually been for a cause that's clearly in their own immediate interests. I've never seen them involved to this degree in support of a political candidate. Young people also were involved in the organization of the rally. One young man in particular stood out. He couldn't have been more than 14 or 15 years old. He and another young man were responsible for telling folks on line about the security procedures at the door. There he stood, his hair dripping wet, water droplets running down his face, with a smile that revealed braces, an indication of his age. We all stood quietly and listened to him politely. After he moved on, several older people around me remarked about how happy they were to see so many young people taking such a serious interest in their country and their future.
As I watched people walk by us to take their places at the end of the line or to take their seats once I was seated inside, I was surprised to see many mothers and fathers with young children, some who had obviously been taken out of school for the day to witness this historic event. There also were many women and very evident mother-daughter pairs at the rally. I spoke with four women at length on the waiting line and in the arena about their concerns.
The first was a retired elementary school teacher who is concerned about changing our country's direction. She had already traveled to Bristol, Virginia, in May to see Senator Obama. She takes food to the Blacksburg Obama headquarters rather than working the phone banks or going door to door because she is afraid "she might mess something up" when answering questions about policy issues. "Food I can do," she said, "but I'm not as confident talking about the specifics of policy issues." She reported that the energy at the Blacksburg headquarters was really high, especially from Virginia Tech students - a group Senator Obama recognized at the rally.
When I greeted a very pleasant African-American woman who joined the line behind me she told me that she had just come off her night shift as a nurse at the Veteran's Hospital in Salem, Virginia, about 20 minutes away. Her husband thought she was crazy to go straight from work and stand out in the rain to wait for a political rally. She supports Obama because she has watched her own niece struggling to get an education in an effort to turn her life around and blames Bush policies for the obstacles she continues to face.
Once in the Civic Center, I sat next to a woman whose college-age daughter was studying intently for a test she would have to take later that afternoon. Her mother is a nurse at Montgomery Regional Hospital in Blacksburg and concerned about the future of healthcare. Most of her family still lives in Ohio, another battleground state. She spoke about her frustration with her siblings there who refuse to discuss the issues rationally. "My parents are Obama supporters," she said. "It's my siblings who are the problem. I've given up. They're just racists."
On the other side of me sat another very adamant Obama supporter - an African-American woman who is struggling to put her son through college. She is frustrated and angry. She has had to work in one dead-end job after another to send her son to college in West Virginia because she couldn't afford to send him to a school in Virginia. Now, he may not be able to continue his education there because he may not be able to secure the loan he needs to pay for it. As she put, "I've done everything I can to keep my son off the streets and in school so he won't end up in prison like so many young African-American men. I don't feel like I've had any help at all. When is it my turn to get bailed out?"
My favorite moment, however, came at the very beginning of Senator Obama's speech when he revealed the truly "human" side of himself. An attractive young woman was precariously perched on the rickety rail designed to keep the young people crowded on the floor back from the podium. Senator Obama stopped his speech and said, "Young lady, you're going to fall right there. You're going to fall. You're going to fall. Get down now. I don't want you to fall. Get down now." She finally got down and the crowd applauded and cheered in approval. Once a Dad always a Dad!