Jan 4, 2008 10:46 pm US/Central
Obama's Presidential Bid Inspiring Chicago Teens
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Members of St. Sabina's youth group say Barack Obama's political career and success are an inspiration to them.
CBS
Barack Obama's message of hope certainly motivated voters in Iowa, where he successfully reached out to Americans of all ages.
And as CBS 2's Mai Martinez reports, in Chicago, Obama is inspiring a whole new generation of future voters.
Most of St. Sabina's youth group members are not even old enough to vote, but that hasn't stopped them from paying close attention to the 2008 race for the White House.
Many say it has a lot to do with one person and one person alone – Sen. Obama.
"He comes from not a very perfect place, not the happy family and he grew up and he became important," said 14-year-old Symphonie McKillip. "He just inspires a lot of people by the things he do and it just makes you want to do more and do better."
"He's engaging in things that our culture has kind of tended to shy away from and showing us that we have a great opportunity to have a lot of power," said Ronnie Mosley, 16.
These young people say the fact that Obama is African American makes them proud, but they know there's so much more to him than the color of his skin. They think Obama's big win in Iowa is proof of that.
"He is the common man," said 18-year-old Blair Matthews. "He's that man who is determined. He has ambition. He has dreams. He has goals for this nation and for himself."
Matthews and many of his peers say even if Obama doesn't win the presidency, he's already won them over by all that he's done as a presidential contender.
"He's set a new standard, a new stereotype to the black African American male," said 16-year-old Ronnie Mosley.
"It's unbelievable the doorway we have to step into our own future, our own destiny, to claim what we want and change what we want to change," Matthews said.
And talk about inspiration – both of those young men say they now have political ambitions of their own.
One of them went as far as to say if Obama doesn't win, well maybe he'd make a run for it when he is old enough.
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