Louisiana Weekly, News Report, Posted: Oct 03, 2012

 First Lady Michelle Obama, speaking to a standing-room-only dinner crowd of more than 2,000 mostly African Americans Satur­day night, drew from the experience of the Civil Rights Move­ment to inspire people to vote, saying although “there are no more ‘whites only’ signs keeping us out, no one barring our children from the schoolhouse door, we know that our journey is far, far from finished!”

Receiving rousing applause from the audience at the Con­gressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Phoenix Awards Dinner, Mrs. Obama, who has accompanied the President as he addressed the dinner the past three years, clearly intended to inspire the people to turn out on November 6 — even in an atmosphere of voter intimidation in dozens of states around the nation and during a season of apparent voter apathy in the Black community.

“So we cannot let anyone discourage us from casting our ballots,” she said. “We cannot let anyone make us feel unwelcome in the voting booth. It is up to us to make sure that in every election, every voice is heard and every vote is counted. And that means making sure our laws preserve that right. It means monitoring the polls to ensure that every eligible voter can exercise that right.”

She continued, “This is the movement of our era—protecting that fundamental right not just for this election, but for the next generation and generations to come. Because in the end, it’s not just about who wins, or who loses, or who we vote for on Election Day. It’s about who we are as Americans.”

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