Reporting By Michael Beaven | Illustration courtesy of dreamtimephoto.com

     Barack Obama unofficially began his quest to the White House on July 27, 2004, when he was the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention.
     That night in Boston, Obama delivered a thrilling speech and displayed his natural charisma, eloquence and ability to capture an audience.
     Obama, an Illinois senator since Jan. 4, 2005, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on Aug. 4, 1961 to a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Kenya.
     Many people throughout the United States were drawn to Obama’s enthusiasm and ability to bring people together who are different genders, races, religions and economic backgrounds.
     Four years after his keynote speech, Obama, a Chicago native, has proven he could indeed bring people of different backgrounds together, as he was elected as the 44th Presdient of the United States.
     His appeal has advanced throughout the United States, including key states such as Ohio.

Kent State students for Obama
     Nike Olabisi, a 22-year-old graduate student at Kent State, is one of many Obama supporters in Portage County who was an unpaid volunteer.
     Olabisi said she remembers seeing Obama on television, and she was instantly hooked.
     “I think at first I was skeptical,” Olabisi said. “I didn’t think our country was ready for a black man to possibly be the president. I kept paying attention throughout the rest of the year. When he took Iowa, I thought maybe this is going to happen, and here we are now.”
     This is Olabisi’s first time getting involved with a campaign. The graduate business administration major, said her knowledge of politics was somewhat limited prior to getting involved.
     “This past year my interest in politics has peaked to the point where I would be interested in volunteering,” Olabisi said. “I really feel like we are in a pivotal moment in our country.
     “I got connected through one of my professors whom I am close with. She had told me they needed volunteers and gave me contact information, and it kind of snowballed from there. I knew I was voting for Obama … because I believe in him so much. I believe in the vision and I believe in the change that Obama can bring for the country at this time.”
     Olabisi, an Akron native, said she has done a variety of things for the Obama campaign, including data entry, organizing events for campus groups such as choir groups and fashion classes, registering students to vote and helping students with early voting. She said working with the campaign has been a great learning experience and has given her a greater understanding of politics.
     “I think just working with the campaign people has been so much fun,” Olabisi said. “Everyone is my age basically, and these people have taken their time to help. No one I work with is from Ohio. People from New York and Arkansas have come to Ohio and helped out because it is such an important state. To see their passion has ignited my passion.”

Kent residents for Obama
     The Obama for Change headquarters in Kent was a gathering spot for many in Portage County who are eagerly awaiting the end of the eight years under George W. Bush.
     Kasha Legeza-Burton, a 45-year-old Kent resident, was a volunteer receptionist at the Kent headquarters and also worked as a special sections editor for the Record-Courier. Legeza-Burton believes a change in leadership is long overdue and that Obama is the right man.
     “I think about four years ago when George W. Bush was re-elected, I was bawling my eyes out, sobbing,” Legeza-Burton said. “I vowed I would never sit back and let something like that happen again. I just adore Barack Obama … if I think I about him winning I cry, and if I think about him losing I cry. This is a very passionate issue, and when I talk to other people about it, I hear similar stories.”
     Legeza-Burton said a majority of the workers she sees are college students who are hungry for a political change.
     “This local headquarters is really run by college kids,” Legeza-Burton said. “They are so enthusiastic and energetic in this campaign.”
     Sandy Halem, a 64-year-old Kent resident, agreed about the increase in student involvement.
     “Kids are working with adults on this,” said Halem, the second vice-chair for the Portage County Democratic Party precinct.
     “We have students from Kent State and kids that are 18 and still in high school working. I am very excited that more people are helping to make the decision to elect the president. When you work with the young people in their 20s, it makes me feel young.”
     Halem said she first got involved in politics in 2004 when John Kerry was running for president. She said the campaigns in the Portage County area were completely different.
     “At that point in time, the Democratic Party was not extremely organized (with regional presidential campaigns) under previous leadership,” Halem said. “I helped run that office. I became active and decided that I wanted to get active in local politics.
     “It has been a great synergy of the old and the new. We literally have hundreds of new people pouring in to help the cause. They are building a phenomenal campaign all over the county. The challenge of the campaign was to be grassroots.”
     Halem said she works on getting information out to both students and older adults in the community. She said the recent requests for yard signs, bumper stickers, posters and buttons have been staggering.
     “It goes out as fast it comes in,” Halem said.
     Halem put her career as a playwright with The Cleveland Play House on hold because she wanted to help people get involved and felt that they “can’t just wait around for a change.”
     “This was more important, Halem said. “I will return and probably have some political plays to write.”
     Halem, an American University graduate, is president of the historical society in Kent and started the May 4 oral history project on display in the Kent State Special Collections Library.
     “I am very active in the community,” Halem said. “I feel if you live in a community you have to take part and contribute to the community. This is a life-changing election, and we have a lot of people involved for a variety of reasons.”
     Halem’s husband and the couple’s daughter also share that line of thinking. Henry Halem, a professor at Kent State for almost 30 years, was involved in the glass program in the school’s art department. Jessica lives in Olympia, Wash., but headed for Kent to help out.
     “We are working on this as hard was we can,” Sandy Halem said. “(Henry) helps put the Web site together and drive people around. It’s a family affair with us.”
     Sandy Halem said her daughter was the first to tell her about Obama when she lived in Chicago from 1996 to 2008.
     “(Jessica) told me he was going to be a good Democratic candidate,” Sandy Halem said. “I didn’t know who he was at all at the time.”
     That soon changed. Sandy Halem was behind Obama after hearing him speak and reading about him.
     “I think we need someone with a new approach and someone who is not afraid to bring in the best and brightest people to solve the problems,” Sandy Halem said. “I like the way he thinks, and I totally reject this whole Republican program that says he lacks the executive skills.”
     Halem said she is confident Obama could unite the United States.
     “Everybody has to pull together and we have to trust the government again,” Halem said. “I think people trust him.”

Kent’s Obama Mamas
     Kara Skora had an idea four years ago and put it in motion – literally.
     Skora had adults, mostly mothers, drive anyone, regardless of party affiliation, in minivans to different polling places on 2004’s Election Day.
     That concept changed this year.
     “This year we wanted to aim it specifically at Obama voters,” Skora said. “We are focusing on the early vote. We have 32 moms, dads and grandparents who drive their vehicles from the parking lot of the Student Center down Summit to the board of elections. We go in with the student and they vote, and we bring them back.”
     Skora said the program, which is called “The Mini-Van Obama Mamas’ Yes We Van Effort” ran for three weeks up to and including Election Day.
     “There were a lot of students that didn’t get to vote (in 2004) because they stood in line for hours and had to get back to class,” Skora said. “We want them to vote early if they can to shorten the lines. My friend Elizabeth (Thewissen), we are two moms and four years ago we were thinking, ‘Here we are moms, and we want to make a difference.’ Being with first-time voters is very exciting, and the drivers are excited to experience it.”
     Thewissen credits Skora as the leader of the “Yes We Van” effort and said they met through their sons, who were teammates on a youth soccer team.
     “The reason we came up with the name was because we are mostly moms,” Thewissen said. “Most of us are soccer moms, and many people consider soccer moms to be Republicans, and we are not. We felt like a lot of people thought we are a group that is likely to go for McCain, but we aren’t, we are going for Obama.
     “Overall, I certainly agree with his positions with health care and the economy, she added. “I think it’s really important to have a change from the past eight years under President Bush, and I think voting Obama represents a change. It’s a powerful vote for change.”
     Skora’s husband, Kerry, heads up a data team for the Obama campaign.
     She believes Obama is a welcomed change from the past eight years and will benefit not only the United States, but the rest of the world as well.
     “The Bush administration has completely destroyed (the world’s opinion of the U.S.),” Skora said. “People don’t seem to really like us now, which I think is terrible because people in the world want to like America. The world wants a strong America and a democratic government that stands for democracy, freedom and human rights.
     “I agree with everything (Obama stands for.) I am very far to the left on most social issues. However, I realize I will not get everything I want. Obama wants to work with the other side and unify everyone, regardless of their party affiliation. I understand that, and I am excited to have a leader that can solve these problems and with both sides.”
     “People are disenfranchised economically, and this is a hopeful moment for all of us,” Skora said. “The students are really revved up. I think it has an effect on how they feel about being a citizen and will make them want to be involved in future elections. They will be involved from now on because they know how to participate in a campaign, how to vote and how to help others vote.”
     Thewissen agreed with Skora regarding the increase in youth participation.
     “I think it’s great; if you look at it historically, voting between the ages of 18 and 22 have been low,” Thewissen said. “To have young people engaged in the voting process is great because politics really has an effect on our lives.”