What About Our Daughters

Here are some of the photos I took on my camera phone on the field at Invesco Field. I was there as a credentialed blogger covering the Democratic national Convention in Denver, CO.

I had to enter to win a lottery in order to get one of these seats in the press box during the Barack Obama speech. This was the  view of the working conditions in the press box. That is Chris Rabb from Afronetizen in the middle.

So I put my name in for the lottery for the press box, but I figured I wouldn't get it so I went in search of the unaffiliated media filing center, a windowless workspace with tv monitors.

I figured that I would have to watch the speech from there so I thought I would go get a rotating floor pass that would give me the option to be on the field for 30 minutes. Shawn P. Williams from the Dallas South Blog was with me. After searching for a while, we found the press seating in the stands, but it was directly behind the stage with no view. Shawn popped a squat and I decided to go get a hot dog and try to get a rotating floor pass. Now mind you I walked around INVESCO field TWICE trying to find the elusive unaffiliated media lounge and the mythical special bloggers table.

After many questions to volunteers who knew nothing I finally got a lead an headed to level 0 under the stands right where I started my original journey. I looked and I looked and then I thought I found it, but when I said I was looking or the blogging table, they looked at me quizzically and then one suggested I go over to section 27.

As I am walking to find section 27, Shepard Smith from Fox News and I ended up on a collission course when he abruptly changed directions and I stepped out of his way to which he said "I wasn't gonna bump into you." He is as funny in person as he is on TV. He was the first television personality to actually speak to another person in the hall. All the rest were guarded by security and acted as if they would turn to stone if you looked them directly in the eye. In the media areas you bassically saw the complete cast of characters from television news, broadcast and cable-Anderson Cooper, Anne Curry, Harry Smith, George Stephanopolis, Donna Brazile, Roland Whatshisname, Charlie Rose, Wolf Blitzer, etc., etc,

So anyway, I go looking fr section 27 and this blogger's desk they say exists. On the way there I run into Aaron Meyers the online outreach director for the DNC and leap for joy because someone will finally be able to tell me where to go after walking around in circles for an hour. He is with this other guy who is a DNCC Staffer, but I don't know his name. Anyway, I explain that I had been to the fourth floor press box, the seats behind the podium and the unaffiliated press filing center and I just need him to tell me where to go to get the rotating floor pass. The other guy ended up giving me a floor pass. A permanent one so that I could stay on the field the whole night.

So I went from this to this to this . That's right I ended up down on the field with the delegates and the MSM.

I was on the field during Stevie Wonder's set and when the stadium broke out dancing, this sister on the camera stand started jamming on the camera stand. I was standing there because security would not let me through because some VIP was rolling through. There is more after the jump.

After waiting there a while with the masses, I decided to try going in the opposite direction. I started walking to the opposite side of the field and lo and behold the crowd started to thin out and I ended up in the path all the VIPs were taking I guess to the TV stands. John Kerry curried by , and too many other people to count rolled through.

So on the way there I ran into one of my heroes., Professor Charles Ogletree, Jr., He is the Executive director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice. I took his picture on my regular digital camera so y'all will have to wait to see him, but when I saw hiim I was like "Professor Ogletree!". Never met the man in my life :) He tried to place my face and I told him I had never met him and then I pulled a Star Jones and said "I'm a LAWYA!" (no not really). I was more dignified than thatHe stopped and chatted and I told him what I was doing there and he gave me his card and asked him for mine. I gave him my What About Our Daughters business card. That was cool.



I kept walking and found a power outlet next to this reporter that I see on TV all the time, but I couldn't remember his name. I could see the podium over the camera stand. I just sat down and let the phone charge and just watched all the famous people walk by. I thought this was where I was going to watch the speech. But I said "Hey I wonder if I can get closer"

When Dick Durbin started speaking I started scooting closer to the stage. At first



i was behind a big speaker. Then I said. hmm I wonder if I can get closer and I did. I scooted some more and I cut across an aisle and move closer and ended up parrallell with the first row of the Massachusetts delegation. Basically being the first section of delegated on the field. I had to watch Barack Obama speak through the New Mexico and Nevada delegation signs but I was close enough to seethe creases in his suit.

The photos don't measure up with what I saw with the naked eye because of the television lights, but if you look directly below the jumbotron image of Barack Obama, he is standing directly beneath the image of himself, you should be able to make out the podium . The photos on my digital camera should be better, but y'all get the point. I was pretty doggone close and had a decent view. Ironically, I ended up winning the lottery for a seat from the press box so either way i would ave have a good view of the speech, but I preferred to be on the ground and in the crowd.

The DNC staffers made the delegates where I was standing keep their seats and their signs down. but during the speech, they got up and were taking pictures with Obama in the background.

This sister with the green arm band was regulating the whole night. when reporters would try to gain entry to that front section she would basically block the aisle and tell them to keep stepping. The only crews that got closer were the camera people for the broadcast networks who were shooting live.

I have some shots of all of them when the families came out in the end and I was in the thick of things when the fireworks started going off. The confetti machine malfunctioned and a big clump of streamers formed over the left of the stage. Sasha, Malia, and the Biden granddaughters were playing with the confetti

If you didn't see the speech, here it is