“UNITE IN THE LIGHT”
50-STATE CANDLELIGHT VIGIL
KAPA’A, HAWAII – OCTOBER 24, 2008 – 11pm Eastern time on the mainland – 8pm in Hawaii. Countless Americans, regardless of their politics, will come together Friday to pray for Barack Obama’s family. He is taking two days off the campaign trail, to be by the bedside of his ailing grandmother. Madelyn Dunham is at home, in Oahu, having been discharged from the hospital, and is reported in serious condition.
“Unite In the Light” is also intended as a symbol of national unity, despite the divisiveness of presidential politics. “Both Republicans and Democrats have been distressed by the negative tone the race has taken lately and by the innuendo that some of us are more “pro-American”
Vigils will take place in a myriad of settings, from Kealia beach on Kauai (where the concept originated) to Times Square in New York and the main streets and parks of countless small towns and villages. Participants have been encouraged to structure their events in accordance with the needs and wishes of their communities. Some may be as simple as turning off the houselights at an appointed time and putting a candle or other soft light in the window. What will unify these unity vigils is their spirit of healing, not only for Senator Obama’s family, but, also, for the entire nation.
Many commentators have expressed astonishment that Obama is taking what they see as the enormous risk of suspending his campaign, so close to the election. But Obama considers his grandmother, who played such a large role in raising him, one of the most important people in his world. “She poured everything she had into me,” he proclaimed at the Democratic National Convention, last August. He says he owes everything he is to the enormous sacrifices Madelyn Dunham made for him.
“He’s honoring family values, in the very best sense of those words,” observes organizer, Elizabeth Diamond. “It only reinforces our confidence in him. We want him to know we applaud the choice he’s made and that millions of Americans are behind him, regardless of which candidate we’re voting for.”
“We’re not red states or blue states,” organizer Mary Nissenson added, paraphrasing Obama’s now famous 2004 convention speech. “We’re all equally patriotic Americans,” Nissenson concluded, “and we want Barack Obama to know that his family is our family, this Friday.”
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For more information, contact: Mary Nissenson at 312-485-3167
Or Michael Fox: 808-822-
