Barack Obama Changing American Attitudes About Race, Politics, and Presidential Candidates

All eyes to be on Obama in Oakland's melting pot

Candidate's race won't guarantee votes, locals say; downtown rally on Saturday

When schoolteacher Mari Houssni-Adler went to Oakland's Jack London Square last weekend wearing a homemade "Obama 08" T-shirt, she turned heads.

"People were curious. They stopped me and seemed surprised that a middle-age white woman was supporting Barack Obama," the San Jose woman said.

Obama's run is challenging at least some racial stereotypes in politics, and his candidacy has reignited the discussion about whether an African American can be elected president.

On Saturday the Democratic senator from Illinois will make his first public Bay Area appearance as a presidential candidate in Oakland, where his candidacy is evoking a strong sense of pride alongside caution that his race alone will not guarantee him votes. After extensive outreach by the campaign, an afternoon rally in downtown Oakland is expected to draw as many as 10,000 people.

While Obama's race clearly matters for people and is part of the reason for the surge of interest, even in multiracial Oakland he's far from sealing the deal.

"It's a great opportunity for African Americans to re-enter vigorously the political arena," said Black Wall Street Merchants Association President Ed Dillard of Oakland. While calling Obama's ethnicity "extremely important," Dillard added, "Gone are the days when black people vote for people just because they're black."

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