It was a Monday evening on a college campus. The football game would be on in a couple hours, the barbecue was fired up and the burgers were cooking. However, the people congregating at the picnic tables weren’t discussing the Chargers versus the Jets. They weren’t focused on the busy first day of classes looming tomorrow. Instead, they were discussing something far more important and intriguing: their future and each other.
Yesterday, Northwestern University students congregated around four picnic tables and two grills for a “BBQ for Barack”. Almost 300 students showed up to find out more about the campaign and what they could do to help (and of course free burgers!). While the event, hosted by Northwestern University Students for Barack Obama and College Democrats, was designed to raise awareness about the organizations, it also raised awareness about the students themselves. Alison, a junior from Coconut Creek, FL felt that “everyone’s pretty enthusiastic. It’s really cool to actually see people out here wanting to do something!”
In a college student’s daily discussions, politics has difficulty getting the same play time as classes, parties and how unfair it is that all the freshmen get wireless in their dorms. However, this gathering clearly showed that there is a crowd that wants to discuss the issues that are important and relevant to the world outside campus life. Jacob, a senior from San Francisco, said there were “lots of familiar faces that you wouldn’t expect to see here. It’s always nice to see young faces, people my own age, interested.” And many of these students were far more than just interested. Approximately 140 students pledged to travel to Iowa with the campaign at least once, with more than 80 planning on going this Saturday.
NU students have often complained of political apathy on campus. This election, this candidate and this message have changed that. Today’s students are finding their voices and using them to declare the need for change in this country. Thousands of students across the country are sacrificing their time, a precious commodity in college, to help the campaign that has inspired millions. Anyone wanting to see the hope in Barack Obama’s campaign need only look out at that crowd of students and find inspiration.
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