Local students say race won't be a hot campaign issue

Young people in Gainesville seem to be in agreement: At least for them, race won't be an issue in the race for president.

College-aged men and women in Gainesville interviewed this week say that, despite their parents' generation having dwelled on the race issue on every news channel since last summer, they aren't surprised that a black candidate has secured the Democratic presidential nomination.

In fact, several University of Florida students are surprised it has taken this long.

Chantelle Marcelle, a UF journalism student, said a black presidential nominee is long overdue.

"It's weird that we're in the 21st century and we're just now breaking down racial barriers in politics," she said.

And now that it's certain that Obama will be on the ticket, many say race shouldn't be an issue when voters go to the polls in November.

"White people should not vote for a person just because he's black," said Shiva Balaga, a UF master's student from India, "and black people should not vote for a person because he's black."

Keena Newmark, a recent political science graduate, agreed, and said America has put too much emphasis on Obama's race.

"As African-Americans, we can't expect it to be Obama's job to come in and solve the problem of white versus black," she said. "You can't expect one man to cure racism, but it's nice to see that a black man can be nominated."

Another thing students seem to agree on: Obama's campaign has gotten young people and minorities much more involved in politics - and his age and message might have something to do with it, they say.

"I think his age works for him because young people are tired of being lied to," Newmark said. "Since he's young, you think he's giving you the truth. We can all relate to his message."

Young Republicans, however, aren't so impressed. Ashley Byars, a junior majoring in Animal Sciences at UF and a Republican, said young people's burning desire for change is driving the enthusiasm for Obama. "I feel like since we are in college, everyone is all about change, so that's why people want a black president," Byars says.

"I've seen video clips of Obama and he doesn't wear the American flag pin," Byars continues. "And his wife was never really proud of our country until Obama pulled ahead of (Hillary) Clinton. And he doesn't put his hand over his heart or say the Pledge of Allegiance in his videos online."

Byars maintains that, "I don't really have any close friends who support Obama. Not even my Democratic friends support Obama . . ."

High school students in Gainesville, meantime, are also feeling the effects of the Obama campaign. "I feel good about a black American maybe being president," said Cameron Dore, a Buchholz High School sophomore.

Obama also has a way of inspiring the people who see his swift rise to political stardom, students say. "In a way, I think he encourages people and makes them want to go out and be successful," said Clovis Watson, a Gainesville High School sophomore. "If he's an African-American and he's gotten this far, it makes my peers here in high school know they can do things now since they've seen it happen."

As if this election could be any more different than that of 2004, high school students say they have been using their cell phones to be on the cutting edge of breaking election news.

"I looked up the results on my cell phone on Tuesday night, and it mentioned that Clinton and Obama had a conversation in D.C., too," Dore said.

Obama supporters can receive campaign updates through text messages delivered to their phone, and it doesn't stop there. A line of ring tones and message alerts featuring Obama's voice can be downloaded for free at www.barackobama.com/mobilev2/. Also on the Obama Web site, supporters can sign up to make phone calls to other supporters of the campaign, thanking them for their involvement in an effort to unite Obama's followers.

Many agree that he will be a strong contender against John McCain in the fall. "People are ready for a change in policy, and Barack Obama represents such a stark difference from the policies of George W. Bush and John McCain," said Danny Beaulieu, president of UF Students for Barack Obama.

Zandrae Green, a UF political science senior, agrees. "He has the popular vote among young people. He has that pop star quality that JFK had," said Green, one of several students interviewed this week who made comparisons between Obama and John F. Kennedy.

On the last day of school at Buchholz, Imani Bennett rounded up a group of black students who congregated in front of the school. Bystanders could feel the passion they felt for Obama as their voices rang out shouting "Go Barack!", and high fives were exchanged.

And in that moment, no one mentioned race.