Reintroducing America to Itself

Tonight, the first evening of the Democratic convention, America was reintroduced to its grass roots. Some memorable moments:

  • Jimmy Carter addressed the hall via video from New Orleans. As he walked through the still-devastated neighborhoods, he talked with residents about their struggles — ordinary people abandoned by their government but helped by volunteers and community organizations. And he reminded America about the obligation to help the Gulf Coast survivors and other vulnerable people ignored by the Bush administration.
  • Teddy Kennedy, despite his malignant brain cancer, traveling to Denver to exhort the crowd to continue the fight for the downtrodden and excluded among us.
  • Michelle Obama’s lovely and personal declaration of the shared values that drew her and her husband to work on behalf of South Side Chicago communities in their daily challenges.

Alice Chasan served as editor and associate publisher of Shelterforce from 2007 to 2008.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.