Category: Politics

Election Night

So much for live-blogging the election! I ended up crunching numbers most of the evening for ICIRR, by the time I dropped off the laptops at my office and headed back to the Cultural Center – I could hear the crowd EXPLODE into cheers and applause!! My heart immediately started pounding and I ran as fast as I could back to the Cultural Center. They had called the election!!! My family had all come to meet with us and as McCain delivered his acceptance speech (where was that McCain during the election?!) tears started to well up in my eyes. It was actually happening!! At 11pm the event ended, so we rushed back to my building to watch his speech and see Grant Park bursting at it’s seams with people and energy! The noise was incredible – the energy palpable! We stayed on Michigan Ave until 1:30 in the morning, watching, absorbing and participating in the revelry!!

It has been too many years in the making – but this unprecedented change is exactly what this country needs! I was glued to NPR the following days and the national and international reactions gave me goosebumps! January can’t come soon enough!

Chicago election exit poll data

Below is the result of the data that I was crunching during the election for ICIRR.

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Lineup for Grant Park Obama rally

From Election Day 2008

You can see the people lining up on Columbus and Michigan Ave! Apparently, they have been lining up since Monday! I’m going to the Chicago Cultural Center to continue volunteering and then to party with Katty and her fellow ICIIR workers! I didn’t sign up for the Obama rally on time – but I’ll be going outside to take pictures. I also hope to do and “after” picture when the rally REALLY gets going!

From Election Day 2008

Getting out the immigrant vote

I volunteered this morning with ICIRR to take pictures of other volunteers that were getting out the vote in Bridgeview, IL. Precinct 47 is a predominately Arab area – and the amount of young and enthusiastic volunteers was overwhelming! Most of them were going out to knock on doors, leave door hangars and in general to try to get as many people to their polling places as possible! They were also doing exit polls – and the data I saw was extraordinarily exciting! More of the pictures I took can be seen by clicking here.

YCLA – Diversity and Segregation in Chicago

A film by YTC students at Youth Connections Leadership Academy. They participated YTC’s After School Matter’s film program – they were challenged to come up with a topic, to film and then edit. What you see below is the fruit of their labor!