Since Senator Obama announced his candidacy in February of 2007, grassroots efforts have been at the heart of the campaign. By committing to an extensive field campaign based on community outreach, the campaign has relied in particular on local groups to help shoulder the burden of getting Barack Obama elected. Recently, one of the most active of these groups has been based in Tennessee, just outside of Memphis: Southeast Shelby County (SESC) for Obama. SESC for Obama's latest event focused on the faith community in particular. On August 4th, the group hosted a meeting at the Soul Cafe in Memphis. Inspired by the role of faith in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the event sought to draw on historic convictions and motivations in the service of combating current voter apathy - and in the process support Barack Obama's candidacy.
Dr. Stacey Spencer of New Direction Church was the host pastor of the event. Reflecting Dr. King's words, he said:
In the 1960s our leaders in faith spoke out against voting injustices and indignities. Today, as Barack Obama so eloquently phrased during the commemoration of Bloody Sunday in Selma, the Joshua Generation must build upon the foundation provided by the Moses Generation. Our fight in 2008 is not so much against injustices and indignities as it is against voter apathy. The right to vote is a right worth exercising.
In total, more than 30 spiritual leaders from a cross-section of denominations attended, including those from many of the best-known churches in the midsouth. SESC for Obama sought to help and encourage religious leaders to use the pulpit to promote voter education and registration.
One of the organizers of the event, Tony, described the motivation for this particular setting.
In Shelby County, we have compiled historical voting data and projected goals for each Ward/Precinct. We're asking the faith community to help us reach our goal for registering, educating and mobilizing voters.
Since kicking off the on-the-ground components of their grassroots efforts in May, the fully-independent SESC for Obama has set up a barbershop voter registration program, hosted Platform meetings, trained Team Leaders, Area Coordinators and Neighborhood Leaders throughout Shelby County, and established an Obama telephone hotline. The group has expanded - now with more than sixty members - and they have registered about 250 voters in just over a month.
As the campaign continues, SESC for Obama plans to continue building relationships within their community, specifically collaborating with the faith community, businesses, and local organizations. They recently reached out to regional Latino groups, promoting and helping to organize an event on a Latino radio station, and they will continue these efforts. If you would like to find a local grassroots group like SESC for Obama in your local area, you can do so here.
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