I was trained in Manhattan, NY as a Deputy Field Organizer for the Obama for America campaign. The experience, which has its roots here in Rockford, IL where I met Obama at a small gathering of local activists and Democrats, is quite the journey.
The training in New York was thorough, educational and an eye-opener for this laid back, intelligent intellectual. Coming from Wilmington DE - Joe Biden country - was ironic. Add the Illinois connection and you get the making of a magical involvement on my part.
When I met Obama back in 2004 (Stanley Campbell - Rockford Urban Ministries) took a picture of us standing side by side smiling. We look like old friends or distant cousins. Obama walked in the room calm, casual and eager to meet all fifteen of us. I got a good feeling from him then after I talked one-one-one with him. I knew he was someone special. Would he run for president of the United States, I had no idea!
I started ground work in Wilmington, DE - a less than mid-sized town that is a fifteen minute drive south of Philadelphia, PA. I learned of the local Obama/Biden office opening up down on the waterfront. Not long after, I made my way there to get involved and see the location. I worked tirelessly, sometimes walking twenty minutes, at the office. I met a lot of high energy and dedicated people there.
While taking a break from work and needing a vacation, I learned of a training for Deputy Field Organizer through MoveOn.org. It instantly caught my eye. I read it and replied right then and there. The next evening, I received a phone call from the Obama organizers for this training and as asked a few questions. I was told I was at the top of the list. I agreed to a training in New York that would take place the next weekend.
I arrived at the training ready to roll. My college buddy Kwame' took me. I had stayed the night with him to get there and be ready. The room was filled with mostly New Yorkers. There were a few people from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. I was the only person born and raised in the state Obama represented.
I heard a lot of amazing and touching stories about people's involvement and dedication to the campaign. Most everyone spoke passionately about why they were Obama supporters. I listened intensely and took in touching testimonies - yes, it felt like church in the training during the story sharing.
I got to know a few people, shared small parts of my life with them, and networked here and there.
The next day, a Sunday, was even more magical. The end of the training found us committing ourselves to the campaign any way we could. Some were able to work for a week, some like myself, committed to work up until election time. This would be four weeks. I wanted to get the full experience. I wanted to work the whole time.
I tried to get a storefront going in Harlem for a Youth Empowerment Obama campaign movement. That did not work with a lot of talking and walking through New York. So, I returned to Delaware and signed up for duty in Philadelphia.
I worked in Philadelphia for a month and a half. The whole experience was magical, moving and challenging. If you were not supporting Obama in Philadelphia, it was as if you were unpatriotic. Seriously! Buttons, t-shirts and hats were everywhere. They were the coolest things to have. Buttons sold like Crispy Cream donuts. T-shirts flew off Obama/Biden tables like cheap lap tops during Christmas sales as department stores.
I was in the thick of it, taking it all in as I made time for myself to study the history of Philadelphia. Learning about its interesting history with Italians, Irish and African Americans. There has been a lot of racial unrest in Philadelphia. I visited a site where a riot had taken place in the late 1800s. The old buildings were still there with a marker to designate the spot. It took me to Obama and his speech on race and politics and this country's connection with various race-related events. I was walking the same streets where people of different races fought and killed one another to have their piece of America. It felt dreary and cold in those neighborhoods in South Philadelphia. I read, thought, then moved on with new knowledge and understanding.
Most of my times was spent in offices doing the work needed and walking the streets getting from one destination to the next. Each office was different - some filled with mostly young people, others with a mix of older and younger.
I ended my time there with a recording of a video called "I Am Barack Obama." It can be seen at YouTube under the name Christopher Donshale Sims. I returned home just in time to vote for Obama and Biden. I worked hard to make that happen. I didn't want to vote anywhere else. Rockford, IL is home! A faithful Rockfordian here, proud that Obama is now our president-elect.
Christopher Donshale Sims Obama for America universoulove@hotmail.com
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