Thinking about the 99 years preceding this hug . . .

[bigtree]

tweeted by, meta ?@metaquest

President Obama hugs 99-year-old Colorado volunteer Marie Greenwood who led Pledge of Allegiance at the Aurora rally Nov. 4 pic.twitter.com/eKD887kh




photo by Steve Hostetler
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevehostetler/8157122012/




Marie Greenwood, the first African-American to be a tenured teacher in the Denver Public Schools, was 24 years old and earning $1,200 a year as a first-grade teacher at Whittier Elementary when she joined Coterie in 1937. Seventy-five years later, Greenwood rarely misses any of Coterie's monthly get-togethers.

A 1935 graduate of the University of Northern Colorado (in those days it was Colorado Teacher's College), where she was not allowed to live on campus or join any of the student organizations, Greenwood, who turns 100 on Nov. 24, was the first African-American woman to receive a teaching contract with Denver Public Schools.

Her trailblazing career was commemorated in 2001 when the Marie L. Greenwood Elementary School opened, at 5130 Durham Court.


read; http://www.denverpost.com/lifestyles/ci_20798086/denver-coterie-honors-african-american-educators

[Voice for Peace]

1. he's hugging her so carefully, as if she might break

[malaise]

2. I noticed that

He had a fragile granny too

[66 dmhlt]

8. Don't forget his GM died 11/3/08 - ONE Day before his election

[MrsFletcher]

3. That's our President!

[bigtree]

4. update: bio

[SaveAmerica]

5. Beautiful!!

[LisaMCdonald]

6. 99-Year-Old Woman Is A First-Time Voter For President Obama

FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - Long lines at polling places have been a familiar sight this week, but two hours in line is nothing compared to how long one Fort Myers, Florida woman chose to wait.

For the first time in her 99 years of life, Rosie Lewis cast a ballot.

“She’s an amazing person. 99-years-old and still has her right mind,” said her grandson Nelson Lewis.

In her modest Fort Myers home, she sat in her favorite chair close to the Bible and with her ballot in hand.

“I just trust in the Lord to let me go on,” Lewis remarked.

Her life has spanned 24 presidential elections. Yet, this is the first time she’s voted in one.

“She completely understands what she just did,” said her grandson. “My grandmother never forgets anything.”

Family friend Gerri Ware registered Lewis to vote.

“I said, ‘Honey, when and where because I will be there,’” said Ware.

Lewis credits the election of Barack Obama for inspiring her to vote.

“I said I’m going to vote if the Lord spares my life this time,” said Lewis. “I made it up to my mind to vote.”

Rosie Lewis has lived through major turning points in American history.

She was 7-years-old when the 19th Amendment passed, which gave women the right to vote.

Lewis was in her 50s by the time Jim Crow laws were abolished. Her grandson said that helps explain why she waited this long to vote.

“She was already set in her ways, and wasn’t really thinking about politics,” he said.

Now she’s one year away from the century mark and not secretive about the candidate she supports.

“I love Obama,” she said.

“Ms. Rosie should be an inspiration to all of our young people and old people,” Ware said. “You never get too old to exercise your right.”[link:http://video.msnbc.msn.com/the-grio/49649283#49649283|

[Care Acutely]

17. Love that story - thank you!

I find her grandson's amazement at her "having her right mind" very amusing, lol. Old does not always = daft, kids.

[heaven05]

7. she

wasn't allowed to do what!!!??? By who? Romney predecessors. May she live and be healthy another 99 years.

[locks]

9. Inspiration

Thanks for the inspiring, beautiful Colorado story.

[David Zephyr]

10. bigtree, how inspirational!

Beautiful.

[colorado_ufo]

11. Congratulations, Miss Marie!

So glad you lived to receive this honor and see this day.

[Diclotican]

12. bigtree

bigtree

In some way the US can be backward as everything else.. But in some way the US is far ahead of the curve.. The fact that the United States of America today (and I hope also after November 6th) have a black man as the president, show for one thing, the US are not that backward as some want to paint it...

Diclotican

[Tommy_Carcetti]

13. This is why we, and not the Romney camp, have the enthusiasm advantage.

We know this President means something to this country.

I can say this even as your run of the mill, white male. He means something to people. He's important to them. You just don't get that same sense with Mitt Romney.

So many great and poignant pictures of President Obama over the past 4 years that go beyond words--Sitting alone in the Rosa Parks bus, him letting the young African American boy touch his hair, casually giving a fist bump to a janitor--it's a good thing for this country that he was elected. A real good thing.

[patrice]

14. Where would any of us be without all of those "little" people who went ahead of us. nt

[rivegauche]

15. OMG what an amazing story.

I am tearing up here! God I love that man. This kind of story makes me PROUD.

[Care Acutely]

16. OK, that made me cry.

How incredibly beautiful.

[Yesbama]

18. THIS is why.

This is beautiful. Mitt Romney could run for president for 1,000 years (feels like he has) and never experience, or appreciate, a moment like this.

This is why we need four more years.

[Scuba]

20. Welcome to DU!!

[Scuba]

19. Inspirational. Thank you.

[Care Acutely]

21. Night kick!