Letter to the Editor,

Sunday, August 24, 2008 was the start to an amazing convention for me. I flew out of the Cleveland airport for Denver, Colorado and was fortunate enough to have U.S. Congresswoman Betty Sutton as well as U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich on my flight. They of course were more than happy to greet everyone on the flight in a down to earth, friendly way.

Later Sunday night was the kick off the Democratic National Convention, and it began with an amazing concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The concert featured Sheryl Crow, the country band Sugarland, and Dave Matthews.

Alexia Romero and Governor Ted Strickland

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The concert was held to raise awareness about the environment and the opportunities that a new green economy will bring, including millions of new jobs. Each artist took the time to speak to the crowd about how they are going green and how important it is to elect a president who understands the growing threat of global warming.

The event was a great way to bring the party together and inspire delegates to “go green” and become passionate about our Democratic nominee, Barack Obama.

Monday, August 25, 2008, began for me with the Ohio Democratic Party breakfast at 8:00 a.m. sharp. While I was there I was able to meet some incredible people such as Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and his wife Frances, and was able hear U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and AFL-CIO leader, Leo Gerard, speak.

Senator Brown encouraged the Ohio delegation to one by one encourage our family and friends to vote for change and support Barack Obama. Leo Gerard stressed the need for fair trade instead of free trade. He spoke of how enough is enough with 256 million dollars in deficit to China.

Following the breakfast I went to the Convention Center for the Hispanic Caucus, where I ran into Ted Koppel, former ABC new anchor, and was able to take a picture with him. The caucus featured U.S. Senator Ken Salazar, the first Latino Senator from Colorado, and U.S. Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey.

The highlight for me was seeing U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton speak to the Hispanic Caucus and thank Latino voters for their support. She spoke of unity within the Democratic Party and how she would be forever grateful if her supporters worked as hard for Obama as they would’ve worked for her.

After her speech, I, as the youngest Latina delegate, was able to introduce myself to Senator Rodham Clinton as a young, politically involved person from Lorain, Ohio.

Then I quickly took a cab to make it to a lunch reception for the Honorable Joyce Beatty, Ohio’s first African-American female Democratic House Leader, and now I finally am taking a break in the hotel room before heading off to the Pepsi Center for the official opening of the convention.

Alexia Romero

Ohio Obama delegate to the DNC

from Lorain, Ohio