I spent a good part of the last week working the lighting for a photo shoot where we made portraits of students at the University of California, Berkeley.
What amazed me, as I introduced myself to each of these young Americans was how much energy they had, how much verve, how much curiosity. I was blown away by their confidence and their lack of cynicism...even if they hadn't learned the polished and guarded tones those of us, uh, over 30 may take for granted.
Once again, in South Carolina today, as he has across the nation, Barack Obama won the vote of young people...changing the face of South Carolina politics in the process. This diary is going to focus on that by focusing on young people themselves.
Rather than pontificate, I'd like to share the thoughts of young people directly...in their own words:
Young people like Farouk Olu Aregbe, the founder of One Million Strong for Barack (Farouk would have joined us at YearlyKos Chicago as part of Chicago Voices if his school schedule hadn't conflicted with the conference.)
Link Farouk Olu Aregbe at Personal Democracy Forum.
Young people like these young people from an effort in New Hampshire where Senator Obama won the youth vote:
Or the way the youth of my home town Oakland welcomed Barack Obama. (Here in a Youth Voices Radio Project...and, yes, Mayor Dellums like many well-established politicians endorsed Senator Clinton months and months ago...ahem.):
Or this very "real" video of how Young Folks are currently organizing for Obama, again here in my home town of Oakland:
Or, as Caroline Kennedy-Schlossberg reminded us tonight, that there is a reverberating power around the world when people feel hope:
Link to must-see video: Dreams to Be Obama.
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Tonight is a night for all of us to stand back for one second.
We should consider once again how Democrats have turned out in record numbers to vote in a Democratic primary. (Our turnout in South Carolina was greater than the GOP's...amen.) That is something that is good for every last one of us. And, yes, once again, young people overwhelmingly have given their votes to Senator Barack Obama.
I've written diaries about the substance of Barack Obama's policy positions and will continue to do so. Admittedly, 20-year-olds are less likely to have the policy chops and ability to express those chops in a public forum that someone like Samantha Power has. We all know that. (Heck, most of us, whatever our age, can't speak like Samantha Power.)
But that doesn't mean that young people don't fundamentally understand the challenges we are facing as a nation. That doesn't mean that we can't note that, all over this nation, young Americans have been moved to take action in the face of climate change, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and a troubled economy at home. They have been moved by a candidacy based on a compelling message of empowerment and hope.
Barack Obama takes young people seriously.
That means something. The voters of South Carolina sent a message tonight that will reverberate beyond their state. They did that. They took action in record numbers. And they did so, knowing what we know about this planet and the urgent needs all of us face; and in doing so, we know that the voters of South Carolina, young and old, sent a message to people around the world.
Vote hope.
{ed: Here's a link where you can donate...ie. one that should work right now.}