Spring Break
Following decision, jubilation erupts on campus
Peter Hironaka
Issue date: 11/5/08 Section: News
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Barack Obama was elected to be the 44th president of the United States, and many SJSU students rejoiced at the results. A group of about 150 students gathered around the Tommie Smith and John Carlos Statue chanting "O-ba-ma!"
In the pitch black of the night, the frequent flashes of cameras illuminated students' faces during the celebration.
The crowd made its way to the statues from on-campus housing. About 10 black, male students danced while leading chants and briefly speaking to the crowd.
Garland Myers, a junior political science major, was one of the students who addressed the crowd.
"No disrespect to other races, but this is for all the black people who went through everything," he yelled.
Terence McKinney, a freshman social work major, said he was happy for relatives who endured racism.
"I'm speechless," he said. "I'm getting all choked up. My grandparents went through racism. … to see that my grandparents can live a day where we've got one of us in office."
Champagne Hughes, a junior theatre arts major, said this was not just a victory for black people, but a victory for all minorities.
"America as a whole recognizes Obama as a black man, (but) he represents everybody," she said.
Nnamdi Nwaigwe, a junior management information systems major, shared similar views.
"When Obama was running, he wasn't running for color," Nwaigwe said. "He wasn't running for men; he was running for America."
Tavares Triplett, a freshman business management major, described the reaction at his dorm in Joe West Hall.
"On the third floor of Joe West, we went crazy," Triplett said. "I don't know half of these people, but we're all cheering together."
Meanwhile, members of SJSU's Democratic Caucus and others convened inside Campus Village to watch election coverage on television.
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