Michelle Obama told African-American media representatives on Wednesday
that her late father introduced her to politics when he served as a
precinct captain on Chicago’s south side.
“I remember going door-to-door with him, registering people to vote,”
she said during a conference call to kickoff the Barack Obama campaign’s
nationwide voter registration drive in black communities.
While sitting in neighbors’ kitchens and living rooms, Obama watched her
father help people register, understand the absentee voting process and
later get to polling places on election day
“He took great pride in helping people exercise their rights,” she said.
The Obama campaign registered more than a million people during the
Democratic Primaries, and the presumptive nominee wants to engage 8
million unregistered American voters, which includes millions of African
Americans.
In 2004 more than 1.3 million eligible black voters did not register and
an estimated 400,000 African Americans said they didn’t vote because
“they were too busy,” according to Michelle Obama.
“We cannot make these mistakes again. No one can afford to stay home.”
The Rev. Joseph Lowery and Rick Wade, Obama campaign national director
of voter outreach, joined Michelle Obama on the conference call.
Lowery called the registration campaign “a holy mission.”
“Voting is a sacred right for all Americans. It is a moral obligation
for African Americans out of reverence for past sacrifices that allow us
to vote today.”
Wade said the campaign learned during the primary season “if we get them
on the rolls, we can get them to the polls.”
He said the voter registration and education campaign would be “a
targeted, strategic program” involving hundreds of volunteers.
After opening 24 campaign offices throughout Missouri last week, elected
officials will join supporters and staff at the campaign offices in St.
Louis midtown and Des Peres on Thursday, July 31 to kick-off local
efforts to register voters and “bring Obama’s message of change to the
state.”
Each event is open to the public and media. Details on times, locations
and speakers are below.
Secretary of State Robin Carnahan will speak at the 3126 Olive office
during the Midtown event that runs from 6-8 p.m.
St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley will speak at the Des Peres
office during the rally, which is from 7-9 p.m.
