The First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, visited Broward College’s Central Campus on Monday, Oct. 22, and addressed South Floridians on the importance of exercising their right to vote.
According to Peter Leduc, chief fire officer of Broward College, there were around 2,000 attendees, many of whom carried supportive posters and wore Obama campaign clothing. Shirts carried endorsement phrases, including “I am a part of that 47 percent” and “Barack Obama, I’ve got your back.” The crowd shouted phrases like “four more years”, followed by its Spanish translation: “quatro anos mas.”
In addition to many enthusiastic supporters, there were also some undecided voters. Felecia Almy, whose husband is a Republican and whose daughters attend Broward College, was one of them.
She said, “I just had to go out and personally see what President Obama had to offer, without the media’s deceiving view. And what better way than to hear it straight from his wife?”
Almy called it a “very inspiring event,” and said that she admired the crowd’s emotion and energy.
She explained how she agreed with President Obama’s viewpoint on many topics, including women’s rights, education expansion, and healthcare. These were all topics that Michelle Obama covered throughout her speech.
Almy said, “I will know for certain whom I will vote for after seeing the last debate.”
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz also spoke at the event, in support of the president, and said, “The choice will be clear during the debate.”
Many students, of all ages, and travelers, from several different universities, attended the event.
Gabriel Bombonato, a high school student, said, “Hearing Michelle Obama speak further proved that President Barack Obama knows what middle class struggle truly is. Her personal anecdote about having a combined student loan debt higher than their mortgage demonstrates that President Obama went through the hassle of student loans.”
Bombonato felt that the first lady did a “fantastic job” talking about the struggle that her husband face, as “It helped bring him closer to the middle class.”
Broward College student Denisha Sinclair also felt that the Obamas “truly understand” what she’s going through.
Though attendees waited in line for hours, many, such as Sinclair, said the event was well worth the wait. Although some people could not get into the event, due to the length of the line and security checks, the first lady greeted the crowd outdoors and thanked them for their support.
Emphasizing the importance of voting, Michelle Obama said, “If there is anyone here who thinks that their voice doesn’t matter, that their vote doesn’t count, that their involvement won’t make a difference, that in this complex political process that ordinary folks can’t possibly make a difference — if there is anyone here who believes that, [that is wrong].”
