My Little Chat with Senator Barack Obama in Greenville, North Carolina

A Rally at East Carolina University Turns into a Quick Talk During a Private Q&A Session

In early April, word emerged that Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) and Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) would soon be taking a swing through my home state of North Carolina. With the North Carolina primary set for May 6, the news of their campaign stop was not surprising.

What was surprising were the three words I saw at the end of Senator Barack Obama's schedule: Greenville, North Carolina.

Greenville is home to East Carolina University. With about 25,000 students, it is a significant force in Eastern North Carolina. As Senator Clinton mostly stuck to the greater Raleigh region, news of Senator Obama's appearance at East Carolina University spread quickly. It didn't take long for an alumni of the school -- now an elected city councilman for the town of Newport and a good friend of mine -- to hear the news of Obama's visit.

Being an elected official has its perks. One of those perks is extra access, and when he invited me along to both Obama's Greenville rally and a private question and answer session afterwards, I felt immediately lucky. I was going to get the chance to ask Barack Obama the questions that I wanted to ask of him. How often does this opportunity present itself?

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Having made the trip to Greenville from the other side of the state, my friend and I met up at Pirate's Cove, an apartment complex outside of East Carolina University. Being an open supporter of Barack Obama, he was already very excited, and the excitement began to rub off on me as well.

Arriving at Minges Coliseum around 3:00 p.m., we were greeted to the typical security protocols. Lines were formed, signs were examined, and metal detectors were present. While being an elected official has its perks, it is clear that Senator Obama's campaign does not wish to take its chances, and we received no special treatment.

After an hour that seemed closer to an eternity, we arrived inside the coliseum and took our seats in the mezzanine. After another period of time that seemed close to another eternity, Senator Barack Obama took the stage. The crowd was as energized as ever, with young and old supporters alike laid out in front of us.

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