By Alexis Hauk on Wed, Jan 21, 2009 11:50 am
The Young
Democrats of Massachusetts partied it up at Mantra inauguration night, to
celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama. As 1980s presidential classics such
as "Mickey," "Thriller" and "Jesse's Girl,” mingled
with the vodka-scented vapors of the dance floor, snappily-clad twentysomethings
streamed through the club steadily through the night.
The event raised more than $4,000 for the Young Dems,
according to Young Dems Media Director Elaine Almquist said.
Beneath the emblematic “Hope” icons of Obama’s
campaign, projected Andy Warhol style, in four frames above the bar, Jonathan
Welch, 25, admitted he was a Hillary Clinton supporter at first, but that her
endorsement of Barack Obama in June eased the pain of switching. So did
volunteering with the strong community of Young Dems in Boston.
“We all want the same thing,” the freelance writer
and banker said. “Now, it almost feels like a new millennium.”
In addition to a screening of Obama's inaugural
address, the participants watched a slideshow honoring the 13 young Democrats
elected to seats in Massachusetts this year and longtime senator Ted Kennedy,
who has been ill with brain cancer and experienced a seizure Tuesday afternoon.
State Rep. Danielle Gregoire, D-Marlborough—at 29,
one of the state's youngest politicians—enjoyed being in a room filled with
politically active people her own age. “We haven’t had a say for a long time,”
she said. “For the new president to be in touch with us [young people] is a
huge thing.”
Chair of Committee on Membership and Outreach Sandi
Fox said the greater visibility and importance of presidential elections often
rubs off on participation in local elections, especially in terms of young
people volunteering.
Gregoire, who won the 4th Middlesex seat in
November, says the momentum of 2008's presidential race “absolutely” helped her
own local campaign.
Fawziyya Muhammad, an analyst for TJX Co., said this
was the first election she felt compelled to follow closely. Muhammad's fellow Boston University
graduate Stephanie Gihe said she looks forward to being able to travel to other
countries and say, “I’m an American” without getting criticized.
"Relations [abroad] were so bad," she said.
Cedric Zami, the head of security at Mantra, also
worked on election night, and saw the fervent celebration of the Young Dems
then, too. “That was off the hook,” he said. “The staff was really surprised.”
Zami, who moved to Boston
more than 10 years ago from Paris, France, and whose family immigrated to Europe
from the Caribbean, said he gets phone calls
from all over the world about the election. “It’s a worldwide
phenomenon,” he said. “It feels good to see people smiling. It feels like today
we're all moving on together."
