BlackPerspective.net
Discussing the Diaspora as seen through an internal Black lens
Hillary Clinton In Tennessee After South Carolina Defeat
January 28th, 2008
Hillary Clinton gave her concession speech at Tennessee State University in Nashville last night. As some who read here regularly might know, that’s my Alma Mater. I only found out yesterday afternoon that she would be in town, and found out while watching national news, I believe MSNBC.
I went out to cover the event on the campus where I lived for 5 semesters before moving off during my junior year. The event was held in Keen Hall, which is attached the Student Center. I walked through Keen hall practically everyday when I lived on campus as it is right next to the two dorms I lived in and lead to the post office, cafeteria, bookstore, and other auxiliaries; as well as being a cross point to cut through campus to get certain classes.
I ran into Colonel Laird (He’s not in the military anymore, but that’s all I’ve ever called him) who is Director of the Student Center and he told me that he didn’t find out about it until Friday; which is to say that the Clinton campaign was last minute in coordinating this event with the university. I don’t think the fact that Clinton’s candidacy is plummeting with Black voters and her picking a Black campus is a coincidence. Though, the fact that TSU Alum and State Senator, Thelma Harper, is her Tennessee campaign co-chair probably had something to do with too.
I arrived at 8:00; the candidate was to speak at 8:30. The crowd was 2/3rds to 3/4ths white on this campus that is over 70% Black and located in a part of Nashville where the percentage of Black residency is even much higher than that. I will note that Nashville is a majority white city. Nonetheless, I’ve been coming to Tennessee State all my life (my parents met here, my two older sisters went here, and younger sister just graduated this past May) and have lived on campus or with in miles of it since ‘96 and other than the Hard Knock Life Concert in ‘99 (a rap concert featuring Red Man, Method Man, DMX, and Jay-Z) I’ve never seen a TSU event where the percentage of the white people in attendance even rivaled the percentage of Black folk much less superseded it. So take that for what it’s worth on the same evening where 80 plus percent of Blacks in South Carolina went for Barack Obama in a rebuke of their former love affair with Bill Clinton; who spent the week their trying to diminish Obama.
Hillary gave her normal speech, some interesting stuff; but a lot of normal blah, blah, blah. I’m going to write an article for the local weekly I freelance for in the next couple of days which I will also put on my Nashville local page; and if you’re interested in that kind of specificity you can check that out when it’s up. I also have some of my original pictures then. I’ll make sure to make not of that in the main blog that day with a link.
Now back to some of the more editorial personal observations that I want to make.
For one, she did something that I’ve never seen before, she held a town hall meeting, taking questions after a concession speech. I’ve Never heard of anyone doing that before or after a concession speech.
Two demographics struck m at the event: Old white people and young Black women.
After the question and answer session Senator Clinton stayed for to shake hand, take pictures and give autographs. There was a rounded barrier in which Clinton stood on the inside of and well wishers were allowed to surround three quarters of.
After mingling with some folks I then went up there and worked my way up to the barrier. It was interesting in seeing secrete service in person for the first time. I’ve been to a couple of presidential campaign events before, 4 years ago, but Wesley Clark didn’t have secreted service, at least not that I remember or noticed.
I couldn’t get a good picture of her because when I got up to the barrier she was a few feet pass the part I was standing at, and the way they surrounded her makes it difficult.
Chelsea was there too. She stopped close enough to me to sign someone’s Hillary banner that she was close enough that I could have reached out and laid my hand on her shoulder. She’s a very thin woman. I’ve always laid off of talking about her looks, since it really doesn’t have anything to do with anything; but after seeing her close up I just going to speak on it.
Her face looks, ummm, odd. I don’t really know how to explain it, it’s almost like it’s not real. Her face looks like it’s struggling to decide between whether it wants to look like Bill or Hillary; though if you look at pics of Hillary in her teens and early 20s, she looked pretty similar. I know, it’s not nice; but that’s life in the public eye. Hey, I really could say much more.
I wasn’t getting autographs, shaking hands or talking to them; I was just up there to observe and take pictures so I could write about it for my blog and newspaper; and for the historical moment of it. How many times do you get to stand right beside a first lady or Senator of such historical notoriety?
Interesting Vidoe roundtable on the SC vote
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Yobachi Boswell is creator and publisher of BlackPerspecitve.net. I’m a writer, activist and political watcher based in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve also been know to do some spoken word and MCing in my day.
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