Wake-Up Call: Barack to the future

In so many ways, the Democratic National Convention of last August seems like a dream, a dream that packed the streets and businesses of Denver, and sent images of this city around the world. Looking out the window now, I can barely make out the silhouette of Invesco Field at...

By Patricia Calhoun

January 20, 2009

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In so many ways, the Democratic National Convention of last August seems like a dream, a dream that packed the streets and businesses of Denver, and sent images of this city around the world.

Looking out the window now, I can barely make out the silhouette of Invesco Field at Mile High, where Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for president on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech -- and where record crowds stood in a line that snaked around the stadium and down Federal Boulevard, waiting to be a part of history.

Glancing over at the television, I see a crowd more than ten times as large, crowding into Washington, D.C., for a wait that will be twice as long and far more frigid than Denver's in August, waiting to be a part of history. They started arriving even before the MLK holiday had ended.

The stunning sight is enough to give you chills -- and not because of the cold.

All eyes will be on Washington today, and all hopes pinned there, too. We all have a dream.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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