Obama for America

As part of a continuing series, we're following Obama Organizing Fellows as they share their stories and their experiences. They discuss the people they meet, the hardships of organizing, what the campaign means to them, and how this summer is changing their perspective.

Coretta is an Organizing Fellow in Georgia.  Her stories appear each Thursday.

This past Saturday a team of ten - three organizing fellows and six volunteers- blanketed the area surrounding the Greenbriar Mall. We spent most of the day, from 10am to 5pm, striking up conversations and adding new names to the voter rolls in Georgia. We met up at the South West corner of Fulton County at The Village on the Green community, which is less than a quarter of a mile past Greenbriar Mall. They were gracious enough to let us use their club house as our temporary space for our local organizing.

Jim, who helped arrange the use of the club house, was also on hand to help us set-up for the event. He donated supplies - six clipboards and a box of pens (which we never have enough of) - and allowed us to use his color copier. I decided this would be a great time to bring my son along. The indoor environment gave me time to attend to the needs of a precocious pre-schooler. I was not alone: one of our volunteers, Michael, who focused on entry points at Greenbriar Mall, brought his thirteen year-old son Kevin along. We were also joined by two teachers, Sharon and Ida who were able to bring in nineteen and fourteen voter registrations respectively (in less than two hours).

At the end of each community outreach event, I feel honored to add my energies and do what I can to help Senator Obama help move Georgia into a lovely shade of blue. I can't believe I am writing this, but counting the voter registration forms gives me chills. We ended the day with just under 80 new applications.

I know first hand how hours spent under a sweltering southern sun asking "Excuse me, are you registered to vote?" has the potential to move a nation forward. Volunteers and new registrants have such excitement in their eyes. This is a point that fellows and volunteers consistently report.

When this program began, I was so eager to help build voter capacity and expand volunteer networks in Atlanta. Now, I understand how critical it is for everyone working on this campaign to "submerge the ego", as one Fellow put it. There really is no room for personal tantrums here. We have to remain open, because too much is at stake. As I continue my endless search for additional places to host non-partisan voter registration drives or an Obama branded event, the My.Barack Obama.com site has been invaluable. The planning tools make it effortless to create an event and share it with local and even global supporters.

I am so glad that I applied for this fellowship. Here in Atlanta, teams of Organizing Fellows are learning how to delicately balance our organizing efforts while focusing on moving our campaign forward. We have to be nimble, stay on message, and address a myriad of situations as they unfold. With just two weeks left to the end of our fellowship, every Organizing Fellow can better appreciate what Senator Obama means when he speaks about "the fierce urgency of now."

I believe that Senator Obama truly plans to lead the United States of America: he aims to unite and offer up ways to meet the needs of all segments of our nation. This simple truth is hard for many pundits to comprehend, perhaps because the heightened level of grassroots engagement is unlike a traditional campaign. This campaign is about the people. We the people.

Check back next week for more from Coretta in Georgia, and visit our Flickr page for more of her photos.

As part of a continuing series, we're following Obama Organizing Fellows as they share their stories and their experiences. They discuss the people they meet, the hardships of organizing, what the campaign means to them, and how this summer is changing their perspective.

Coretta is an Organizing Fellow in Georgia.  Her stories appear each Thursday.

When I walk out my front door to participate in a voter registration drive a sense of urgency washes over me. I know that this is not simply about preparing for the next presidential election - this is about helping America deliver on promises for generations to come.

I have been plugged into Senator Obama's campaign since his candidacy was announced, well before the Obama Organizing Fellows program was rolled out. After riding the political waves during the primary season, I noticed Senator Obama's campaign was developing into a distinguished, strategy intensive movement that actively promoted inclusion. I studied historical movements as an undergraduate student at Rutgers and once I understood that I was witnessing historical divisions disappear, I knew I would have to do more than just watch.

With my son, Sovereign, starting pre-school in August and the June completion of my MBA, education has been heavily on my mind. However, I find that I am no different from any of the mothers I meet - we share the same hopes and dreams. Mothers want our children to contribute to our social progress; we want our children to grow up and help to advance America. I believe that mothers in America, whether they are black or white, want change desperately. We want America's children to be protected, to be covered.

A few days ago (July 5th), I attended two events here in Atlanta. The first was a voter registration drive held near the Lennox Mall. Jason, another fellow, and I rode the Marta train from the West End Station to the Lennox Mall stop, where we got off to meet up with volunteers. When we reached our staging location we pulled out our clipboards and went into "Barack-tion" (what you get when you mix Barack with action).

For a while there, we thought the day might go by without registering anyone new. However, after 1pm, more people seemed to flow out from the Marta trains and once we witnessed the first person filling out a voter registration form we all seemed to get our second wind. For me, the realization of what we were doing hit home again and with it came an enthusiasm that hovered around us throughout the afternoon, even when I encountered a woman who held strong anti-voting beliefs.

She essentially said the system was broken and believed her vote would not count. We went back and forth sharing our opposing views with each other and in the end she did not register, but she said she would give what we discussed some thought. I felt like this was a huge step in the direction of empowerment. I told her I would be returning to this area later in the month and I hoped to register her in the near future. We smiled and parted ways.

I left around 2:15 or so to get back to attend my second event. I co-hosted a Unite for Change Meeting at the Club House of the Cottages of Cascade. There was a nice turn out but one attendee, a medical student named Eugene, stood out from the rest. Eugene discussed how early on in the political process he saw a diverse candidate pool on the Democratic side and quite the opposite on the Republican side. He talked about how amazing it was to see people from all walks of life working towards a common goal. He also talked about the need to inform people about the recent changes in voting laws in Georgia. There is no question that Senator Obama's campaign has touched Eugene.

Most nights I am either physically or mentally drained, yet knowing that what I do for Senator Obama - empowering and educating Americans about the power of their vote - makes it easier for generations to come to fully engage in the process.

The gifts that Senator Obama's candidacy have given me personally are numerous. He reminds me to remain committed to my dreams and to move toward my vision with conviction. The Senator's campaign has shown me that if I stick to my goals, those who are for me will move toward me and those who are not will fall away. This is about overcoming whatever it is that binds us or blurs our view as individuals and as a country. I believe we will overcome.

Check back next week for more from Coretta in Georgia, and visit our Flickr page for more of her photos.