Strength in Numbers

Missouri proved there was truth to its “Show Me State” title yesterday, as an estimated 100,000 people gathered for a rally under the Gateway Arch in St. Louis in support of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. When I first heard Sen. Obama’s rally was to be held beneath the historic monument, I imagined the powerful images a large crowd could produce. But not even in my wildest dreams did I fathom St. Louis would produce the largest crowd ever for an Obama rally in North America.

But I can tell you that as I looked among my fellow St. Louisans on my metro ride over to the downtown area, I could feel an excitement and feeling in the air that I can only describe as revolutionary. Looking back, I remember wondering if people in the March on Washington felt the same way. I literally felt the instantaneous recognition of change that I knew was shared by everyone around me. We all smiled at each other, barely able to hide our excitement for finding each other in such large numbers. We boarded the trains as if we were on a mass exodus from the Bush era. The Metrolink filled almost beyond capacity and the scene that unfolded as we exited the train and took to the streets of St. Louis city nearly took my breath away.

I had never seen anything like it before, and for a political event none-the-less. The urgency in the air made things even more exciting. We all knew we needed to make it in time to witness our chosen leader give his speech. The lines stretched for blocks...blocks! …in the downtown area. People were walking briskly and even running to get into the line (if they could find the end of it). We were anxious to get as near to the scene as possible. When we reached Washington Avenue, the crowd before us shuffled along at snail pace in the beginning. We barely managed to move 5 feet within the first 30 minutes.The sheer mass of people of all colors and from all walks of life was unbelievable. We couldn’t even be angry or feel stressed at the daunting task of moving forward because the number of fellow supporters only emboldened our sense of unity and purpose. A number of mothers with strollers, a father with his two young daughters, a grandmother leading her grandchildren…these were just some of the groups surrounding me. It really was a sight to behold.

When we finally reached the Arch grounds, people began to jog towards the already waiting rally goers. When Sen. Obama came out, it felt presidential. How jealous had I been to grow up and see decades old images or video of a young, beloved leader in JFK speaking to his constituents. Now, how thrilled I was to be among tens of thousands of people screaming for our own political rock star and inspiration we were truly proud of. During his speech, someone behind me laughed and said out loud in disbelief, “I’m looking at Obama. He’s right there! I’m looking at him!” Volunteers walked around passing out free bottles of water. Despite the constant buzz circulating around me, I couldn't help but feel calm with my surroundings. Perhaps because it felt nice to be around tens of thousands of people, just like me, thirsty for a sense of sanity after eight years of a leadership in Washington parched of it.

All I could keep thinking was, how could such a diverse crowd be wrong? How could black, white, Asian, Arab, Hispanic, and people of all ethnic backgrounds and colors be unanimously wrong? Surely something that brings us all together in the spirit of tolerance and change (for the better) can only be good. It was not just strength in numbers that was impressive. It was the depth of diversity. I looked around me and felt good as a human being. The brotherhood of man brought together by one leader on this day, who preaches unity with a, yes, eloquence few have ever been in possession of in our lifetime was right. As far as I’m concerned, we deserve Obama. November 4th couldn’t come fast enough.