There are many independent citizen websites throughout the country who are vigorously supporting Senator Barack Obama for the Presidency of the United States. The great majority of these sites are not officially sponsored by or directly affiliated with the Obama campaign itself, yet have done a tremendous job of politically educating and mobilizing millions of both actual and potential voters to exercise their constitutionally protected democratic franchise and to hopefully cast their ballots in both the primaries and the upcoming national election for Obama. These highly creative, hardworking, and passionate advocates and eloquent defenders of community based grassroots democracy in action are some of the most committed and sophisticated political organizers in this country since the advent of the legendary 'New Left' activists in the 1960s and 1970s which ushered in such important mass participatory oriented groups and organizations as SDS (Students for a Democratic Society), SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee), MOBE (National Mobilization to End the War in Vietnam}, Public Citizen (popularly known as [Ralph] "Nader's Raiders"), BSU (Black Student Unions), The League of Revolutionary Black Workers, and the Black Panther Party.
These organizations and many more during that volatile and dynamic era were all seriously engaged in fighting for political, economic, and cultural democracy at the grassroots level of community participation and became a historical template for many people of how to organize for both mass-based radical and reformist political objectives and social/economic policy changes in this society.
Two of the most impressive independent grassroots groups organizing around the Obama candidacy are Black Women for Obama (BWFO) and Asian Americans for Obama (AAFO). The following articles from their respective websites (see links and articles below) indicate why they are so important and representative of an extraordinary new wave of mass based political and social activism generated by American citizens in response to the democratic potential of the Obama campaign. What these sites and many others involved in this national mass movement reminds us is that there will not and cannot be any real, genuine democracy without the masses of citizens engaged at every single level of the political process and that ultimately the Obama campaign is not about him as "public personality" or based on his "success" as an individual candidate or politician but on what we are all able to do as citizens to actually fundamentally change the very form and content of the American and global political economy "on the ground" from one of rank corporate exploitation, social oppression, and structural inequality to a system that advocates, defends, and organizes for the progressive advancement of mass democratic principles, programs, values, and institutions.
Kofi
http://www.asianamericansforobama.com/home/2008/04/after-pennsylva.html
http://blackwomenforobama.wordpress.com/2008/04/
Asian Americans for Obama
Asian Americans for Obama is a grassroots organization founded to help organize the Asian American community to elect Senator Barack Obama the next President of the United States
April 24, 2008
After Pennsylvania: What Really Matters?
Hillary Clinton won Pennsylvania and now all the pundits ponder the meaning of 10 points--the new numerology for the new millennium. Some try to read the minds of the "bitter" white working class. Some conclude that there is a winning magic in the dark arts of negative campaigning. Some dismiss Clinton’s victory as an illusion and others praise her miraculous comeback onto the stage. Frankly, after spending last week away from the elections and marching 28 miles with thousands of different workers in Los Angeles, I find this whole show to be really ridiculous. It is too easy to be caught up in this superbowl of elections and its recent devolution to “kitchen-throwing” game play and forget what this race is really about. For some of us, this election is not about whose more electable but something deeper.
Last week, janitors, hospital employees, teachers, homecare workers, iron workers, machinists, dock workers, actors and actresses, probationary officers, security guards and many others trekked by foot over 28 miles through Los Angeles over 3-days from “Hollywood to the Docks” to fight for good jobs. Over 350,000 workers in Los Angeles have union contracts expiring this year. The march ended with thousands of workers rallying around the ports. I walked with them under the sun across the expanse of the Los Angeles region. Along the way, different people shared their stories with each other. Joe, an Asian American actor, commiserated with David, a Latino iron worker over the tenuous nature of their jobs. Joe and his pregnant wife had to turn to Medicare for healthcare benefits despite the fact that he possesses a Masters degree and has appeared in a number of plays and films. The web world of downloadable films has left him and many actors and film crews behind with no right to residuals. David, an ironworker, found himself without a job as the economy entered recession with few opportunities for those who build with their hands. They walked in step with Theodore, a Korean probationary officer, who wants to continue helping the next generation and remembers a young man, a former juvenile on probation, who approached him: “ He came up to me..to thank me for what I did for him. I was happy to see him on a path to success.” They and many other workers took turns pushing my 7-year old daughter Mina in a stroller who begged to join the march because she wanted to be around a large group of people who deeply cared for her. Maria Elena Durazo, head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor knelt down next to her and told her that we all really love her.
We all knew that the march would not automatically lead to better working conditions but we all appreciated the new community nurtured across age, race, gender, and jobs. We all understood the power of creating new community and regular people taking control of their lives. This was the first time in LA history that all these different workers and unions joined together for something that was not strike support or election mobilization. We knew we would be there for each other and the future. We knew we were making history by crossing the lines that have long divided us.
Like the emerging camaraderie of the historic 28-mile march in Los Angeles, I saw a similar synergy in the coalescing of new voters around the Obama campaign. For some of us, this presidential primary is not about who can beat McCain by any means necessary but how we can rebuild our sense of community as a nation again.
By the eve of the Pennsylvania primary, it cannot be doubted that Hillary Clinton positioned herself as the candidate who knows how to work the status quo but not change it. She cast herself as “Republican-Lite” by arguing that only big states count, justifying negative and divisive attacks as a necessary evil to vet the best candidate to take on McCain and exploiting the fears of people. In a sense, she has become a faint shadow of McCain. She has made herself to be, to quote community leader Eric Mann’s words, the “anti-hope candidate.” To applaud her victory in Pennsylvania, we not only overlook Obama’s success at shrinking her 20-point lead in a state we expected Clinton to win but we are saying that we accept “the way things are” and the same way we have been doing politics for the last several decades—the same approach that has alienated young people, new voters and the wider electorate who have usually sat out of the elections. The last time we had large numbers of young people, African Americans and independents coming out in large numbers our country witnessed an emerging Civil Rights Movement and dramatic changes in our national consciousness.
This primary election is not just about Clinton versus Obama but how do we want to do politics. Like the actor, ironworker, probationary officer and many other workers who walked through Los Angeles, we want to create the community that will support my daughter and future generations. We need someone who is willing to help us challenge ourselves to walk one step further and risk saying “ we will not accept the way we have always done things.”
Posted by John Delloro at 12:39 AM | Permalink
Hope Changes Everything!
April 4, 2008
By Patricia Wilson-Smith
Hope really does change everything, doesn’t it?
If you’re like me, you remember the early days of the Obama campaign, when hope was all we had. We were Obama supporters before being Obama supporters was cool, back when it was one thing to know that we saw in him a quality that was unmistakably presidential -and quite another thing to think that one day he would be on the brink of actually becoming the Democratic Party’s nominee.
But we had hope. Hope that the nation would one day see what we saw, hope that neither his race, nor his age, or any other superficial deterrent would get in the way of the Senator’s rise. Hope that the greatest political machine in our nation’s history could somehow be neutralized in order to fulfill our dream of an Obama presidency. Hope.
But the hope went far, far beyond just the Senator’s electibility. As we, the soldiers of the early days made our way from house to house in the hot South Carolina sun, or stood in line waiting to see Senator Obama speak long before stadiums were necessary to contain the crowds, we also hoped for a new unity, one born of the need to move our nation in a different direction; away from failed Bush policies for sure, but also, away from a divisiveness that our partisan politics and class-warfare had only made far worse.
And so we met up with other Obama soldiers, and we planned, and we worked. Black women stood shoulder-to-shoulder with young white men and painted signs; elderly black men rode vans with Asian college students, and traded stories, sang songs. And slowly but surely, we realized (as Senator Obama put it), that we were in fact not nearly as divided as our politics would suggest.
It’s been an amazing ride, and it’s not over yet. Black Women for Obama has made a small mark on the political landscape, by proclaiming early and often that there was no moratorium on our vote, and that we believed even before the rock-star receptions on college campuses that Barack Obama was and is destined to become the next President of the United States. Not because he is a rock star, but because he’s rocked our collective political worlds, by teaching us how to look to the future as a truly united nation, and how to begin the work of leaving the past that still haunts us where it belongs - as a reminder of where we’ve been, but no deterrent to what we can become.
I have fallen madly in love with Senator Obama - sorry Michelle, it had to be said. He has renewed my faith in politicians, men, basketball players, and religion. He has reminded me that it was in the black church that those who came before me found the strength to fight for the liberties I now enjoy, and made me realize that it’s okay to “do me”, and not cling to the crutch of past racial injustices as I make my way in the world. But most importantly, he has taught me that I actually do have a voice, that can grow as loud as I dare dream for it to. He has deepened my appreciation for democracy, and reaffirmed my belief in what’s possible in this nation that I love so much. He deserves my undying love for that reason alone.
And so, let’s face it - this journey nears it’s end, and through the light at the end of the tunnel, I can see a huge, red, white, and blue sign that reads, “Barack Hussein Obama, the 45th President of these United States”. And each day that the Senator’s opponent fudges the truth, fakes the numbers, and continues to play transparent political games, my view of that sign grows a little clearer. And so hope, in practice with works and faith, becomes a vehicle for change, real honest to goodness change. And all I can ask myself as I sit here happily typing away is, “When the inauguration is over, and it’s time to get down to brass tacks, what will this nation dare to hope for next?”
April 4, 2008
By Patricia Wilson-Smith
Hope really does change everything, doesn’t it?
If you’re like me, you remember the early days of the Obama campaign, when hope was all we had. We were Obama supporters before being Obama supporters was cool, back when it was one thing to know that we saw in him a quality that was unmistakably presidential -and quite another thing to think that one day he would be on the brink of actually becoming the Democratic Party’s nominee.
But we had hope. Hope that the nation would one day see what we saw, hope that neither his race, nor his age, or any other superficial deterrent would get in the way of the Senator’s rise. Hope that the greatest political machine in our nation’s history could somehow be neutralized in order to fulfill our dream of an Obama presidency. Hope.
But the hope went far, far beyond just the Senator’s electibility. As we, the soldiers of the early days made our way from house to house in the hot South Carolina sun, or stood in line waiting to see Senator Obama speak long before stadiums were necessary to contain the crowds, we also hoped for a new unity, one born of the need to move our nation in a different direction; away from failed Bush policies for sure, but also, away from a divisiveness that our partisan politics and class-warfare had only made far worse.
And so we met up with other Obama soldiers, and we planned, and we worked. Black women stood shoulder-to-shoulder with young white men and painted signs; elderly black men rode vans with Asian college students, and traded stories, sang songs. And slowly but surely, we realized (as Senator Obama put it), that we were in fact not nearly as divided as our politics would suggest.
It’s been an amazing ride, and it’s not over yet. Black Women for Obama has made a small mark on the political landscape, by proclaiming early and often that there was no moratorium on our vote, and that we believed even before the rock-star receptions on college campuses that Barack Obama was and is destined to become the next President of the United States. Not because he is a rock star, but because he’s rocked our collective political worlds, by teaching us how to look to the future as a truly united nation, and how to begin the work of leaving the past that still haunts us where it belongs - as a reminder of where we’ve been, but no deterrent to what we can become.
I have fallen madly in love with Senator Obama - sorry Michelle, it had to be said. He has renewed my faith in politicians, men, basketball players, and religion. He has reminded me that it was in the black church that those who came before me found the strength to fight for the liberties I now enjoy, and made me realize that it’s okay to “do me”, and not cling to the crutch of past racial injustices as I make my way in the world. But most importantly, he has taught me that I actually do have a voice, that can grow as loud as I dare dream for it to. He has deepened my appreciation for democracy, and reaffirmed my belief in what’s possible in this nation that I love so much. He deserves my undying love for that reason alone.
And so, let’s face it - this journey nears it’s end, and through the light at the end of the tunnel, I can see a huge, red, white, and blue sign that reads, “Barack Hussein Obama, the 45th President of these United States”. And each day that the Senator’s opponent fudges the truth, fakes the numbers, and continues to play transparent political games, my view of that sign grows a little clearer. And so hope, in practice with works and faith, becomes a vehicle for change, real honest to goodness change. And all I can ask myself as I sit here happily typing away is, “When the inauguration is over, and it’s time to get down to brass tacks, what will this nation dare to hope for next?”
Patricia Wilson-Smith for Delegate, Georgia’s 7th Congressional District
April 19, 2008 in Commentary, Did You Know?, Politics, The Campaign
Dear Fellow Obama Supporters!
This evening, I received something that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
This evening, I received an email that contained a letter of endorsement from Senator Obama himself for my candidacy for Delegate from Georgia’s 7th Congressional District. This is an honor that is beyond description, and it proves that Senator Obama and his campaign are steadfast in their belief in the power of the engaged individual.
Tomorrow, April 19th at 10am sharp, voters from all over Georgia’s 7th Congressional District will be casting their votes for the delegates that will represent not only them, but Senator Obama in August in Denver. I’m writing to ask you to come out and vote for me, Patricia Wilson-Smith, delegate from G7.
Why? Because things will get tough in Denver, and we all know why. Senator Obama will need only his strongest supporters on the ground, and I have worked tirelessly over the last year and a half to build Black Women for Obama, a professional grass-roots organization with 20+ chapters around the nation. I have traveled to Texas, South Carolina, and canvassed and worked hard in Georgia to help the Senator win crucial primaries. I have devoted a major amount of time on my talk show, “Talk It Out” spreading the word about Senator Obama and openly debating his detractors, and most of all, I have written a myriad of op-eds discussing my views on issues from the campaign as they have arisen, many of which have been featured in the AJC, The New York Times, and The London Daily Telegraph.
But most of all, I’d like you to support me, because if you do, you can rest assured that I will fight to the political death on the convention floor to ensure that Senator Obama becomes the Democratic nominee - believe that.
The caucus will be held at the Destiny Ballroom, 150 Athens Hwy, Loganville, at 10am. Doors open at 9am. Please bring your drivers license and voter ID card, and bring as many other registered voters from your area as possible. I am also asking that you support two other strong Obama Supporters - Steffini Bethea, and Steve Deak.
Thank you for your time and consideration - Senator Obama WILL be the next President of the United States, and with your help, we can get him one major step closer tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Patricia Wilson-Smith, Delegate Candidate
Georgia’s 7th Congressional District
April 19, 2008 in Commentary, Did You Know?, Politics, The Campaign
Dear Fellow Obama Supporters!
This evening, I received something that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
This evening, I received an email that contained a letter of endorsement from Senator Obama himself for my candidacy for Delegate from Georgia’s 7th Congressional District. This is an honor that is beyond description, and it proves that Senator Obama and his campaign are steadfast in their belief in the power of the engaged individual.
Tomorrow, April 19th at 10am sharp, voters from all over Georgia’s 7th Congressional District will be casting their votes for the delegates that will represent not only them, but Senator Obama in August in Denver. I’m writing to ask you to come out and vote for me, Patricia Wilson-Smith, delegate from G7.
Why? Because things will get tough in Denver, and we all know why. Senator Obama will need only his strongest supporters on the ground, and I have worked tirelessly over the last year and a half to build Black Women for Obama, a professional grass-roots organization with 20+ chapters around the nation. I have traveled to Texas, South Carolina, and canvassed and worked hard in Georgia to help the Senator win crucial primaries. I have devoted a major amount of time on my talk show, “Talk It Out” spreading the word about Senator Obama and openly debating his detractors, and most of all, I have written a myriad of op-eds discussing my views on issues from the campaign as they have arisen, many of which have been featured in the AJC, The New York Times, and The London Daily Telegraph.
But most of all, I’d like you to support me, because if you do, you can rest assured that I will fight to the political death on the convention floor to ensure that Senator Obama becomes the Democratic nominee - believe that.
The caucus will be held at the Destiny Ballroom, 150 Athens Hwy, Loganville, at 10am. Doors open at 9am. Please bring your drivers license and voter ID card, and bring as many other registered voters from your area as possible. I am also asking that you support two other strong Obama Supporters - Steffini Bethea, and Steve Deak.
Thank you for your time and consideration - Senator Obama WILL be the next President of the United States, and with your help, we can get him one major step closer tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Patricia Wilson-Smith, Delegate Candidate
Georgia’s 7th Congressional District
