America reflected at a political rally

Viewfinder

By Andre F. Chung | Sun photographer

February 17, 2008

Fans take photographs of Sen. Barack Obama at a campaign rally at 1st Mariner Arena. (Sun photo by Andre' F. Chung / February 11, 2008)

A couple of weeks before Maryland's primary, I asked to be assigned to the Barack Obama coverage when he came into town. I had been following his movements since his seminal speech at the Democratic convention in 2004, and was impressed by his bold transition to presidential candidate. He had a lot of momentum, garnering support from what seemed like all corners, and I wanted to see if he lived up to the hype.

On Monday, at 1st Mariner Arena, I discovered that the "rock star" description assigned to him is not that far off.

I've covered a few candidates, including Bill Clinton, but I haven't seen one who could command a crowd like Barack Obama. Those who came to see him at the arena seemed more like fans than political supporters. Before he arrived they chanted his name, "O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A!" and even attempted to do the wave in the stands.

By the time Rep. Elijah E. Cummings came onstage to introduce him, the crowd had grown restless - their man was 45 minutes behind schedule. When Obama appeared, people in the stands shouted and cheered, jumped up and down, and waved to him, but with a fervor not usually reserved for politicians.

During his speech, I turned my camera on the audience and found a mix of faces and expressions. Some people were rapt, not blinking or moving and hanging on every word. Others smiled broadly and shouted encouragement, punctuating his speech. It was a bit of call-and-response, a tradition that permeates the African diaspora, and Obama rolled with it.

I was glad to see that. Quite often when black people achieve success in the mainstream, they do it by somehow softening their blackness. Maybe they take the bass out of their voice, or are careful not to slip into a folksy cadence in their speech. Sometimes they strip away cultural references like music or food.

I didn't see that on Monday. He was honest about who he is, and it hasn't cost him.

That says a lot about where we are as a country today. It's a big step forward. African-Americans weren't his only supporters; the diversity in the crowd was complete. I saw reflected in the crowd the America that I know: black and white, Asian, Latino, young and old.