Five weeks after the great tension and great joy that was Nov. 4, 2008, let it be recorded that Syracuse For Obama was born again, with a new purpose - to serve our community with the same passion, drive and determination that helped us elect Barack Obama to be our next president.
Crowding into a cozy room at DeWitt Community Library, the members of our group - many of them familiar, but a few ones as well - avidly discussed our next steps. Most of the talk centered around how we can best utilize our talent to serve those in need.
The wonderful centerpiece of our meeting was the presentation by Angela Douglas. On her own, she is already making a difference in Syracuse with her group called the CNY Circles Campaign, or "Bridges Out of Poverty". To date, without any funds, they have started to lift 44 familes out of poverty, with the goal of eventually reaching 100 families. And they are looking for new leaders. Email them at cnycircles@contactsyracuse.org, or call (315) 251-1400.
In the meantime, it's been suggested that our group participate in one community outreach event prior to the Jan. 20 inauguration. Many great ideas came up, from food drives to clothing drives, something that can be done after the holidays, when giving is not in the spotlight.
All that is good - but that is not enough. We must, long-term, devote ourselves to community action and lifting the status of our fellow citizens. It is what Barack Obama did in young adulthood, when he could have made a lot of money looking out for himself. It is our calling, too.
The best thing I heard tonight, other than Angela's presentation, was when Andrea Audi brought up the Literacy Volunteers of Amercia, founded here in Syracuse. While health care, economy and education are all fundamental issues we must deal with, none has as large an impact, both societal and psychological, as the inability to read.
Just think about what teaching a child, or adult, to read can do. It opens every door in society, from understanding job applications to educational opportunities. It is imperative that we promote literacy - a nonpartisan issue if ever there was one.
Of course, we will also advocate for the issues that mean so much to us. Combined, the millions of volunteers and contributors that made up the Obama movement can make for one powerful interest group, but only if we stay involved, stay active and hold our leaders, especially our new president, accountable for their behavior.
As we all saw with the disgraceful acts of the governor of Illinois, it's so crucial that citizens are aware of what is going on with the people they elected. Lack of awareness can lead to the sort of corruption and arrogance Rob Blagoevich has displayed.
We know Barack Obama is a special leader, but that only gets us a few steps toward change. For certain, we cannot go back to the apathy, cynicism and ignorance that marked recent years of our political history. We need to supply the President-Elect with the support he needs to lift our country out of our rough spot - and we need to affect change here, too.
And, well, YES WE CAN!! Felt good to say that again....
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