Black high school students express hope and pride

Students on Obama

Video

By Harold Gwin

The students believe the election shows people put racial issues aside.

YOUNGSTOWN — Mallory Kimble believes the election of Barack Obama is Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream “coming alive.”

The Chaney High School junior referred to a King speech in which he said he had seen the promised land, and, although he might not get there himself, he assured his listeners that “we as a people” will get there.

Obama’s election is the fulfillment of Martin Luther King’s dream, Mallory said.

She was one of 10 black Youngstown high school students who recently sat down with The Vindicator to discuss the impact of the election of America’s first black president.

“This is like history,” said Doniece Fletcher, a sophomore at East High School. “It’s amazing to me.”

“We’ve come a long way,” added Brandon Reid, a junior at East.

“It gave me a new sense of hope,” offered Cametreus Clardy, an East sophomore. “It made my happy — like racial boundaries aren’t there anymore.”

“It really affected me a lot,” said Azraelle Reeves, a senior at East. “It shows me how far we can go. If we want to be president, we can be president.”

Obama’s election really has a big impact, not just because he is black, but because it gives hope that you can do what you want to do, explained Antonio Ford, a senior at East. The president-elect is a good role model and a caring father. People can learn from what he’s done, including what he did before he ran for president, Antonio said.

Parents tell their children that they can be anything, including president, Mallory said.

“But when you see someone of color [in that office], it really makes a difference,” she said.

“I’m seeing history in the making,” said Sarah Ballard, a Chaney senior. “Years from now, I can tell my kids I saw him when he was elected.”

Young people have heard the stories about Civil Rights activists such as Rosa Parks and others, and now, “We can tell our kids these stories,” Sarah said.

Some of the students had thought Obama had little or no chance of winning the presidential race.

“I thought it was a possibility,” Doniece said.

“When it first started, I was really surprised,” said Brittany McCullough, a Chaney senior. She thought Obama would lose to Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries.

Breawna Scott, a Chaney junior, had the same inclination, expecting Clinton to defeat him.

Sarah said she’d never heard of Obama before he announced his candidacy.

“I had to Google him and see what was going on,” she recalled. “It was just amazing to see something like this come to be.”

His election showed that people were putting aside racial differences for what was best for the country, Mallory said.

“I honestly though that John McCain would win,” said Rayana McGuire, a senior at East. Obama had a lot of good things in mind to help the economy, education and more, she said, suggesting that helped carry him to victory.

“I thought it was possible, but, in all honesty, I never thought it would happen,” Cametreus said, adding that he had heard about Obama before in a seventh-grade honors history class.

Offering a Cabinet post to Hillary Clinton was a nice gesture, he said.

It shows he is surrounding himself with experienced people, Rayana added.

Most of the students said they supported the Obama campaign by wearing campaign pins and buttons and speaking to family members and others about his candidacy.

Mallory and Breawna took it further, actually working on his campaign locally.

Mallory was an intern in the Obama office and became a neighborhood leader, doing a lot of knocking on doors.

“It was exciting and got tiring, but the night that he won, it felt like it was all worth it,” she said, adding that she would like to pursue a future in politics.

“My dream is to be a senator,” she said.

Breawna wasn’t an official member of the campaign staff but frequently accompanied Mallory on her rounds.

Azraelle said she was disappointed that, at 17, she was too young to cast a ballot.

“I think the law for the voting age should be changed to 17 and a half. I was about five months short,” she said.

Obama showed strong character during the campaign, Antonio said, proving that he could take criticism from the other candidates and keep going.

He talked about the American dream and he is actually living that life, Antonio said, adding the president-elect “shows us how to act.”

“I see him as a strong role model for everybody, not just African-Americans,” Mallory said, adding that Obama doesn’t come from a privileged background and has suffered the loss of close family members, yet has persevered.

He gives all kids someone to look up to other than rappers and ball players, Brittany said.

“He has such a good outlook on everything,” she said, adding that he never seems to lose his cool.

“I think he’s a great role model, so down to earth,” Sarah said. He comes across like someone you’ve always known, she said.

“He speaks for everybody, Breawna said, explaining that Obama doesn’t single out a single group but wants the country to do well as a whole.

Some of the students said they feared for Obama’s safety when they learned that Obama would be staying in a Washington, D.C., hotel before moving into Blair House, the White House guest house, last week.

The image of Martin Luther King Jr. being murdered on a hotel balcony in Memphis in 1968 flashed through his mind, Antonio said.

“I always pray for him and his family,” Rayana said.

Brandon said he plans to go to the inauguration, as his mother lives in Washington. Others said they would like to attend but were uncertain about how to go about it and what it might cost.

Children are interested in Obama because he is young enough to still be connected with young people and he is well-educated, said the Rev. Hubert D. Clardy Jr., pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church in Campbell.

The fact that he has visible interaction with his own children and wife wasn’t missed by young people who see him as someone concerned about their position in life, Mr. Clardy said.

Many are looking for that community/village atmosphere — that they are redeemable and useful, he said, adding, “I believe this is the time for that.”

Paula Wiley, youth coordinator at Centenary United Methodist Church, said she sees a difference in young people now.

“They feel that there’s a sense of hope ... for their future, period,” she said.

They saw the nation pull together and, “They are very hopeful,” she said.

Some of the students said they’ve seen changes among their peers.

Sarah said she was surprised by some of her friends, who she thought would have no interest in politics, but were closely watching the campaign.

“They said, ‘Did you watch the debate last night?’” she recalled. “That surprised me.”

Others said they have noticed a difference in attitude.

It maybe hasn’t changed the way some people dress, because kids follow trends, but the way they act has changed for some, Brittany said. They’re taking a double look at what they’re doing, she said.

gwin@vindy.com