Laws of Life - Bainbridge Georgia

Helping Make History Happen

by Austin Spooner, 9th Grade Winner

Maxim: Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.
~President John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963 Former American President

Character Trait: Determination

The club rented for the occasion was packed; people of every color, gender, and age filled the space. The amazing thing was that everyone in that building was connected through one common belief – our support of Barack Obama for President of the United States. As we all watched Barack Obama be declared the victor of the presidential race, I vowed that the raw emotion in the room was something that would stay with me forever. Some cried, some stared blankly at the large screens in disbelief, and couples and families embraced as we all realized we had won this hard-fought campaign. I recall myself yelling like a crazed lunatic, but that connection with complete strangers because of one cause we all championed is something that I will cherish always.

My support of Barack Obama began as soon as he won the Democratic Party’s nomination. Soon after, my family and I were contacted by a campaign organizer named Kira who asked us to volunteer for the campaign in any way we could. With the first voter I registered, I caught a disease – campaign fever. I finally found something I was truly talented at and something that gave me a sense of self-worth. From the first time I knocked on a door and asked a person who they were planning on voting for, I knew exactly where my passion lay. Saturdays quickly began to mean traipsing from one house to the next, neighborhood by neighborhood, promoting a man and a cause in which I passionately believed. At one point, I even ventured into a public housing project with two older ladies, Ms. Leona and Ms. Judith, to register people who were often left out of the political process. However, tragedy soon struck my new-found love; the poll numbers in Georgia were not looking favorable for Obama, so one day, over coffee, Kira informed me and the rest of the small Obama team that Georgia was having its funding cut and that she was being moved to Tallahassee to be in charge of the office there. I was devastated. Although I knew winning Georgia would be a long shot, I thought maybe we could pull it off, but obviously we could not. I took this hit to heart and soon began to devise a plan as to how I could continue campaigning, but without Kira – the team’s rock – who was constantly assisting with the planning of events, I soon lost hope and resigned myself to thinking that all great things must come to an end.

One day, out of the blue, I got a call from, of all people, Kira. It was about a week before the election and Kira asked me if I could come to Tallahassee and stay overnight to assist in Get Out The Vote (GOTV) efforts, which meant canvassing and making phone calls as much as I wanted. I said I did not know if I could, and that I would have to get back to her. In my mind, I just knew I could not do it; I did not have the time, and I could not miss the school and many other things. I nonchalantly mentioned the offer to my mother and recited my list of why I could not accept. My ever-wise mother looked me straight in the eyes and told me, “We both know you are dying to go. In the scope of life, which will be more important, missing school or being a part of history?” With this, I called Kira and said, “I’m in.”

For four days, I worked as hard as I possibly could to help elect Barack Obama to the Presidency. I was part of the effort that knocked on 90,000 doors three times on November 4th and made hundreds of thousands of phone calls. My days started early and ended late and were filled with endless paperwork, rude potential voters, and long walk packs; but I thrived on this never-ending, stress-filled work. Along with making life-long friends, my purpose in life became clear to me: I had an uncanny political ability and I had to use my talents to better my country.

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