Obama lauded at City College celebration

By Don Clyde
Staff Writer

The anniversary of the first elected African-American President of the U.S., Barack Obama, was held at City College’s Diego Rivera Theatre on Dec. 2.

The three-hour celebration, titled “President Obama: Celebration and Commitment,” featured speeches by administrators and students, student films, musical performances and a short speech by actor, activist and City College alumnus Danny Glover.

The Diego Rivera Theatre was nearly filled to capacity at the beginning of the event as around 250 students, faculty and staff attended. Most speakers lauded the election of Obama in 2008 as an inspiration for African Americans,” Chancellor Don Q. Griffin said.  “He is a president for all people in the U.S.”

According to the City Currents newsletter, about 90 students submitted essays for the event on the topics “Does this election represent a moment or a movement?”, “I have a dream” and “In our hands lies the ability to shape our world.” Eight student winners read their essays at the event.

Reading from his essay, general education student Eric Welch said the election of Obama inspired him to follow education “instead of violence and inter-community segregation.”

Welch, 21, who grew up in Richmond and hopes to study medical technology added, “If he can make it out of the struggle, than I can.”

Del Anderson, City College’s first African-American chancellor, elected in 1995, said Welch was a perfect example of the inspirational power of Obama’s election.
“The election helps people let go of excuses,” Anderson said. “His election informs what is possible for everyone.”

There was, however, some disappointment among some speakers resulting from the recent actions of the Obama administration. The night before the celebration Obama delivered a speech committing 30,000 additional U.S. troops to deploy in Afghanistan.

“I wish he had delivered the ‘Beyond Vietnam’ speech,” retired UC Berkeley ethnic studies professor Ling-Chi Wang said, referring to Martin Luther King Jr’s 1967 speech against the Vietnam War. “It sounded like George W. Bush’s speech.”

Wang added it was wrong to escalate the war while 45 million Americans do not receive health insurance.

“We must hold him accountable to the American people,” Wang said. It was a theme that ran through the Obama-day event.

“The idea of change rests with us,” said Stephen Glick, dean of the Downtown campus and the school of business, who conceived the idea for the event. He added, “We have to give Obama a chance to succeed.”

The student videos at the celebration focused on student concerns at City College including class cuts and tuition raises.

As Chancellor Griffin was introducing former Chancellor Anderson, one student in the audience spoke out asking the chancellor to re-instate summer classes.
Danny Glover said the election should spur students to further action.

“We exist in a system which has failed us,” he said. “It is imperative you take on roles as informed citizens. It is important for you to take on this history.”

City College student speaker Pau Crego Walters spoke of the wish for a society with equal rights for the LGBT community, and student Mei Xuan, who came to the U.S. from China in 2007 said she was truly inspired by the election of an African American president.

Griffin said the election of Obama was successful because of the 23 million young people who voted for him.

“This is a movement of young people and young voices,” Griffin said. “We cannot be a nation of old people and old voices.”