But the moment she came to witness? Joseph always felt it was a destination it would take decades to reach.
“Myself and my parents, we never thought we’d see the day when something like this would happen to us,” said Joseph, who was at Invesco with her brother, Rich Caruth.
“I’m here to be a part of history. I’m excited we’ve nominated our first African-American candidate for president.”
This election is about change and a nation’s willingness to embrace it. Obama has campaigned on change, and Thursday night, amid an explosion of cheers and camera flashes, he promised to deliver it.
“It’s time for us to change America,” he said.
The crowd of more than 80,000 went wild, including Larry Harper, who sat behind me, waving an “Obama/Change” placard.
“He’s really addressing all the issues people want to hear,” said Harper, of Aurora, “and I absolutely believe we’ll see change. You’re seeing the start of it as we speak.”
It was a palpable giddiness at Invesco. Talking with people, you sense they felt not just a part of history — but maybe for the first time in a long time, history that could be recalled with joy years from now.
Many spoke of how they finally believed that a change really was going to come.
“It seems like regular people are being given a chance to get involved in a way they haven’t been in a very long time,” said Sondra Hardgrave, who arrived with her friends Peggy Mihelich and Corie Helms. “I feel we have input.”
Mihelich, 54, worked on George McGovern’s campaign in 1972. For her, attending was a chance to be part of something momentous.
“It’ll be legendary. I’m hoping I’ll be 90 years old and get to tell people I was here tonight and heard Obama speak.”
Mary Oreskovich, 43, sat with her husband. The couple own a bakery in Pueblo. “My parents always talked about when JFK became president, and for me this has got to feel the same way. It’s how I feel every time I hear Obama speak.”
Three hours earlier, Donald Sisneros of Denver stood with a sign. It bore a drawing of a wheelchair and a message: “My child was left behind.”
“I truly believe a society is judged on how they treat their least fortunate,” said Sisneros, whose son suffers from a disorder that causes seizures. “For the last eight years, special- needs children were neglected. I think this is a chance for change.”
Again, that word.
Isaiah Davis came here from Davenport, Iowa.
Davis is 21 and a budding hip-hop artist. He hasn’t seen that much of the wider world yet, but he knew the magnitude of what it meant to have a black man as a presidential nominee on the 45th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
“It’s the first time in American history this has happened,” Davis said. “Ever.”
History moves in slow currents, right up until the floodgates open. Election Day is less than 10 weeks away. Hang on.
William Porter’s column runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him at 303-954-1877 orwporter@denverpost.com.
