Ethnic Media Identifies with Hawaii Diversity at the Convention

Different cultural groups representative of Obama's childhood home

By Randy Stelly and Carol Forsloff

 

Hawaii's delegation, led by Senator Daniel Inouye, stood out from all the other States on Wednesday afternoon at the Democratic Convention, as the birthplace of the new Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, and the place where diversity was demonstrated by its inclusion of individuals from a number of cultural and racial groups. Hawaii gave its favorite son, Barack Obama, 26 votes in the roll call as evidence of its clear support for a representative of its diversity in the White House.

Obama spent childhood years in Hawaii and returns to the State frequently to visit friends and family. He has the experience of living in a place that folks call paradise. Part of the reason for that has to do not only with warm, tropical climate but the fact that 95% of its citizens have health insurance and the longest average life span of any group in the United States. Obama knows the advantages of living in a multicultural place identified with good health and longevity. Perhaps that's why his political platform has foundation evidence from direct contact with success in an area that his opponent, John McCain, has yet to discuss in detail.

The ethnic media covering the Democratic Convention for their respective media outlets as well as New America Media stands out like Hawaii does at the Convention, representing as it does a cross section of individuals from various cultures and races. As the delegation from the "Paradise of the Pacific" stood in front of the crowd on the floor of the convention, members of the ethnic media recognized its own special status as well and the vision of inclusion that the Convention is trying to represent as it prepared to officially nominate Barack Obama as the next President of the United States.