“When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

It was August 28, 1963 when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered those eloquent words as part of his historic, “I Have a Dream” speech to thousands on the Mall in Washington, DC. Forty-five years later on the very same day, history was made again when Senator Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for the presidency of the United States before thousands at the Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver, CO. And I was there.

I had never been to the state of Colorado before. The only thing I knew about Denver was the Broncos of course, and well, Dynasty. But when I learned that Obama’s acceptance speech was moved from the Convention to the stadium, and it was open to the public, I booked a flight on Denver’s own Frontier Airlines.

The free pass to attend the speech, called a “community credential,” was not easy to come by if you did not reside in Denver. I tried to secure one weeks before my trip, however I could not get one. I contacted Obama’s headquarters in Chicago where I was placed on a waiting list, but I did not receive a call back. So I went out to Denver on faith that I would get into the stadium for the speech.

I knew that the same GOD that allowed me to come into the presence of greatness with Nelson Mandela in 1990 when he visited Harlem after his release from prison after 27 years would make it happen. After all, he was the same GOD that made it possible for me to march on Washington with millions of men on October 16, 1995.

I arrived at the stadium hours before Obama’s speech and stood at the gate where people of all races entered. King said in his 1963 speech: “For many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.”

As the ticket holders passed through the gate, there was a group of people who solicited them for an extra one. I joined this chorus of beggars. Some made signs such as, “I’m from Los Angeles, and I need a ticket.” At first I thought that was a little much, but after a couple of hours, I started to think it was a good idea. And then it happened. A woman walked by me with more than one pass in her hand. I ran to her and asked if she had an extra one and she gave it to me. I thanked her and then I thanked GOD.

What King described as a “promissory note” in his address, Obama defined as “America‘s promise” in his acceptance speech: “Each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will but we also have obligations to treat each other with dignity and respect. The idea that we are responsible for ourselves but that we also rise and fall as one nation. The fundamental belief that I am my brother’s keeper. I am my sister’s keeper. That’s the promise we need to keep. That’s the change we need right now.”

What an incredible experience I had at the stadium. After the speech, I walked out of there on such a high. In the excitement of it all, there were forty of us that piled onto a shuttle bus and asked the driver to take us downtown where the celebrations were held. She said she was supposed to pick up delegates but decided to transport us there instead.

The next day I flew back to New York City. On board my flight, I sat next to two white guys. They introduced themselves to each other and discussed the selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as Senator John McCain’s running mate on the Republican presidential ticket after it was announced on Fox News. Both mentioned that they had attended Obama’s speech, and in less than 24 hours, agreed with Fox that the news of Palin as McCain’s choice for vice president had overshadowed it.

Although I was seated next to them, they did not include me in the discussion. They acted as if I was invisible. The woman who gave me the community credential to get into the stadium was white, but those two guys convinced me that Obama’s candidacy had not improved how whites view or relate to blacks. If they had included me in the discussion, I would have advised them to ignore Fox News and have a thought of their own.

I watched the Republican Convention on television the night Palin accepted the nomination and described her role as a small town mayor as, “sort of like a community organizer except with real, actual responsibilities.” She meant to mock Obama but displayed her ignorance instead. The community organizer was also the object of ridicule by former NYC Mayor Rudy Guliani and former NYS Governor George Pataki.

During their administrations, I worked as a community organizer for four years for a Harlem-based not-for-profit. I coordinated fairs, workshops, and events on health issues, education, employment, arts and recreation, and other topics. I worked in collaboration with the Mayor’s office, elected officials, community boards, law enforcement agencies, national and local organizations, and businesses to organize the activities. Now does that sound like I didn’t have “real, actual responsibilities?”

During his speech, Obama warned us about McCain at the Republican Convention: “We will … hear about those occasions when he’s broken with his party, as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need. But the record is clear: John McCain has voted with Bush 90% of the time. I don’t know about you but I am not ready to take a 10% chance on change.”

Since Palin joined McCain on the ticket, he has talked about change. Does this mean that he finally agrees with Obama that what’s been going on in Washington for the last eight years has not been working? When Obama said it was not working, he criticized him. Now he says we need change. So what does he mean? And whom is he referring to? The current administration? McCain said he and Palin are going to Washington to clean it up. However the Republicans are already in office there. They are already in power.

In conclusion, I agree with Obama when he said, “On November 4, we must stand up and say eight is enough.”

Darryl L Lacy

Heir to the Promise part2