State Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas

Barack Hussein Obama was the first vote for president I’d ever cast. He was the leader of the effort that took me to Washington, D.C. as a policy and program intern with the Children’s Defense Fund and National Ministries of the American Baptist Churches during the summer the Affordable Care Act was being crafted. Obama was the dynamic change agent that made it attractive to serve in government for people of all backgrounds. Like Douglas Wilder, Tom Bradley, Harold Washington, Maynard Jackson and many more before him, Obama was a symbolic and effective leader who brought desperate constituencies toward shared goals. Resorting the economy, expanding opportunity, and fostering a more perfect union are hallmarks of such leaders. Sometimes moving the ball is enough to advance the cause. We did not win the game (that takes a long time), but we are better for the service, sacrifices and successes of Barack Obama. I got the best that I might hope for my vote: dedicated, honest, and engaged service.