Greensboro's African American Community Newspaper since 1967
A super week of campaigning brought Democratic presidential candidate and former First Lady, Hillary Clinton and current First Lady Michelle Obama to North Carolina to rally voters. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and current U.S. President Barack Obama also made trips to the state last week in an effort to garner more support.
Clinton’s husband and former President of the United States, Bill Clinton, came to Greensboro on Sunday, October 30 to campaign on her behalf. He spoke to a crowd in downtown Greensboro’s LeBauer Park as well as at Providence Baptist & Mt. Zion Baptist churches.
“If you haven’t voted, you have to,” said the former president, “because not voting in a battleground state like North Carolina is almost as bad as voting wrong.”
President Barack Obama made his visit to Chapel Hill, N.C. on Wednesday, November 2.
It was a first lady fest when Democratic Presidential candidate and former First Lady, Hillary Clinton and current First Lady Michelle Obama visited North Carolina just two weeks before Election Day. The two laid out the stakes of this year’s election at a rally in Winston-Salem on Thursday, October 27.
Both Clinton and Obama urged North Carolinians to get out the vote and make sure the Democratic ticket, including Senate candidate Deborah Ross and Gubernatorial candidate Roy Cooper, is elected on November 8. The First Lady recalled her husband’s tight victory in North Carolina in 2008 and loss here in 2012, reminding the crowd not to register a protest vote, but to vote for progress.
The two ladies each complimented the other on their accomplishments. Clinton reiterated her admiration for the First Lady’s work on behalf of education for women and girls, better nutrition for kids and opportunities for military families.
The First Lady called Clinton the sort of president the nation’s children deserve, someone who can unite the country, rather than divide it. Obama touched on Hillary’s personal life, noting that she was the daughter of an orphan and understands the significance of the American Dream and will protect it for the next generation.
“Remember that. It’s a country where a girl like me, from the South side of Chicago, whose great-great-grandfather was a slave, can go to the finest universities on Earth; a country where a biracial kid from Hawaii, the son of a single mother, can make it to the White House; a country where the daughter of an orphan can break that highest and hardest glass ceiling and become president of the United States. That is who we are,” said Obama. “That is what’s possible here in America, but only when we come together, only when we work for it and fight for it.”
Clinton also highlighted a new anti-bullying plan aimed at creating safer schools for children. Her “Better Than Bullying,” initiative would provide $500 million in new funding to states that develop comprehensive anti-bullying plans.
“We’ve got to make sure all our kids know that America has a place for you — the American Dream is big enough for you. We’ve got to make sure they learn the right lessons about how to treat people. I can’t think of anything more important than making sure every single one of our kids knows that they are loved just as they are,” said Clinton.
After her appearance in Winston, Clinton surprised University of North Carolina at Greensboro students at a voting site on campus and attended a homecoming pep rally at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
“Early voting is really all about you,” Clinton told students at the pep rally. “We’re going to have the biggest vote ever in North Carolina if all of you come out and vote.”
Early voting continues through Nov. 5 and Election Day is Nov. 8.
