Senior Advisor to President Obama, Valerie Jarrett made a visit to Alabama this past weekend. While here, she participated in the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee, the White House Urban Economic Forum and spoke with campaign volunteers in Birmingham on Monday. About 100 volunteers from around Alabama turned out to hear Jarrett speak at campaign headquarters.

Jarrett told the crowd her story and how her family benefitted from the Affordable Care Act when she was able to provide health insurance for her daughter when she graduated from college. She discussed the current political climate and how “all hands must be on deck” to ensure President Obama gets a second term and can continue the progress that has been made. She talked about the promises kept by President Obama and stressed the fact that we can’t afford to go back to the way things were prior to this administration. “People are hungry for leadership”, said Jarrett. We have seen 23 straight months of job growth, the end to the War in Iraq, healthcare reform and pay equity legislation for women during this administration.

The setting for the event, which felt much like a chat with a neighbor or close friend, gave volunteers an opportunity to ask questions of Jarrett and glean from her experience as Senior Advisor. She ended her visit by firing up the crowd and encouraging us to hit the ground running in 2012.

Fired Up and Ready to Go!

This weekend marked the 47th Anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery March known as “Bloody Sunday”. The events of “Bloody Sunday” are etched in the minds of Americans. It was one of many protests during the Civil Rights Movement. The events in Selma marked a tragic showdown between protestors and police in Alabama over voting rights and voter disenfranchisement. Protestors, many who were young organizers, were hosed, beaten and tear-gassed. The events of “Bloody Sunday” were instrumental in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Today, the event is commemorated with the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee. On Sunday, March 4, 2012, thousands of people from across the country converged upon Selma, Alabama to mark the event which included service at Brown Chapel AME, the church where marchers began their journey 47 years ago. This year’s march saw the likes of the Reverend Al Sharpton, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Representative John Lewis who was one of the leaders of the march at the age of 22, NAACP President Benjamin Jealous; Representative Terri Sewell of Alabama, Martin L. King III and President Obama’s Senior Advisor, Valerie Jarrett. Marchers crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge to mark the 47th Anniversary of the event.

OFA Volunteers from across Alabama canvassed the event as well. The march will conclude this Friday in Montgomery, AL and is led my Reverend Al Sharpton. The march from Selma-to-Montgomery will end with an event at the Capitol in protest of tough immigration reform and voter ID legislation in Alabama.

Sitting here in my kitchen watching the video of the last 5 years I’m hit with a flood of emotion and memories; of the work that we have done, of my dad, of my children, and of all of the volunteers that I have had the privilege to work with over this time.

It all started one morning, I remember watching Barack Obama on my computer with my kids around me as he announced his candidacy. The tear flooded my face and I couldn’t even figure out why. I just knew this was something huge! Two weeks later, Senator Obama was coming to Selma for the Annual Bridge Jubilee and my dad convinced me to go. We were not political, we had never been involved, in fact we were both Republicans at the time but it just seemed like something we had to do. We showed up in Selma to find the breakfast had been sold out but my dad always has a way of working things out. Watching Barack Obama speak to this small group of young and old, I could see how people reacted to him. I could see how I reacted to him, he made me cry.

After Selma, it was on! We returned to Hoover and hosted our first house party not knowing what would happen next. Eight people showed up and we started building our team. We worked primary states and then celebrated our victories. We won Alabama in February and then we kept going. On Election Day we celebrated together.

What we have built here in Alabama feels like family. The people that I work with around the state are heroes. They were hosed in the park, went to separate schools, and they still keep fighting. They have stood with our President through Health Reform and the mid-terms, never losing faith that we are on the right side of history.

As I sat this week with my father after suffering yet another seizure, I couldn’t help but think about the time that we have spent together over the last 5 years. This was his moment and I was just a part of it. From the very beginning, he was the soul of our organization and now I get to carry that on for us. Together we will keep working and organizing and 270 days from today, we will have 270 electoral votes and we will celebrate together again.

I hope that you will join us! Sign up HERE.

Leanne Townsend, Alabama State Director