Nov 5, 2008 8:17 pm US/Eastern
A Feeling Of Joy For Elderly African-Americans
Obama Victory Marks Event They Never Thought Possible
Reporting
Jay Dow
HACKENSACK, N.J. (CBS) ―
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Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama waves to supporters during his election night victory rally at Grant Park on Nov. 4, 2008, in Chicago, Ill.
Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images
Much has been said about the young voter turnout for the election, with many of those voters far too young to remember the Civil Rights movement.
CBS 2's Jay Dow spoke with several seniors on Wednesday who know firsthand how much America has changed in their lifetimes.
The young men and women of the Dr. Martin Luther King Senior center in Hackensack have been waiting for this Election Day for decades.
"It brought me to tears. I truly believe God answered my prayers," said Magdalene Keeling, a member of the center.
Keeling, 81, says as a young girl growing up in rural Virginia, the presidency was not even an option for an African-American.
"We had no choice. We had to be whatever was available to us and that wasn't much," she said.
Nathaniel Briggs, a member of the center whose parents filed one of the original lawsuits that evolved into in the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education, was also thrilled with the significance of the election.
"Barack Obama has changed the dynamics of politics altogether in America," he told CBS 2.
There are members of the center who can recall that just 50 years ago, they were forced to draw an outline of their foot on a piece of cardboard, and walk it into a shoe store because the white owner would not let them try on a pair of shoes. It's certainly understandable why they're so emotional about the country's newest president.
"I didn't think I'd live to see something like this," said 91-year-old Williene Dow.
An overwhelming, yet fulfilling event that like so many other memories, they'll surely never forget.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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