The Rally Call Blog

Note: This story was submitted to the Rally Call Blog through the Center for Civic Engagement by Obie James. This might be a good time for us to state that the opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana - Bloomington and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.

The Power of the Vote

I was honored to see the 42nd President of the United States, William J. Clinton speak at Indiana University on April 2, 2008. It was a profound experience and although Mr. Clinton only spoke for a little over an hour, it was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life! It is events of this magnitude; forums at the Monroe County Library, rallies with Presidential Candidates, and the O’Bannon Institute, that I instinctively sensed where out there, just outside of my reach while I served in the military and after.

Even though I write now on the importance of voting, I was not always as inspired by my civic duty to do so. Lack of political will to combat problems of drugs and poverty in my home town of Detroit seemed to indicate that my voice was but a whisper thrown against the roar of a turbulent political ocean.

President Clinton speech reminded me that political will is renewable.

It reminded me that voting is not a civic right, it is a civic duty.

And finally, President Clinton’s speech reminded me that not only am I beholden to the forefathers of our great country, but as an African-American man I am also beholden to a community of grandmothers, grandfathers and grandaunts and uncles, who sacrificed their safety to ensure that we all would have the opportunity to exercise equality.