Lynn post to hold Inauguration Day celebration

LYNN – Four local activist groups will gather to publicly celebrate the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama on Tuesday at the Franco American Hall.”We’re calling it a party with a purpose,” said Jeffrey Crosby, president of the CWA-IUE Local 201 union in Lynn, and one of four people who will serve as master-of-ceremonies at the event from 6:30-10 p.m. “This is truly a historic moment for our nation and it’s pretty exciting.”Obama is scheduled to deliver his acceptance speech during the day and a videotape of it will be played later during the party.According to Crosby, the union local, along with the North Shore Labor Council, Lynn Neighbor to Neighbor and the independent grassroots group Lynn for Obama, provided the framework for city residents in support of Obama. “All four groups were instrumental in that,” he said. “Ninety people from Lynn for Obama actually went to New Hampshire or did phone banking. I’ve never seen anything like it and a lot of those people are continuing their involvement.”The party at the Franco American Hall, 535 Western Ave., will feature a free buffet, cash bar, brief bi-lingual talks by leaders of the four activist groups and a performance by a combined community choir from local churches.”We want this to be a party with a purpose because we didn’t elect Obama in order to just sit back,” said Crosby. “We’re actually doing three things on Tuesday. We’re celebrating his election. We’re putting out our own ideas of what we hope for – good jobs, health care, peace, a clean environment and education. And we’re having this free party but you have to sign in and make a commitment to get involved with any of these groups or somehow get involved in our community.”Enthusiasm is running high, he said, noting that food for the event was donated by local restaurants, with additional support from the union local, the labor council, attorney James Carrigan and City Councilor Peter Capano.Muriel Clement, a representative of Lynn for Obama and a member of the Zion Baptist Church, where the group held its meetings, quoted the President-elect, who said, “My election is not the change we need, it is the opportunity to work for the change we want.”Clement added, “We hope this party will be the beginning of people from all over Lynn getting together for the kind of change we need to see in our city, and in this country as a whole.”Crosby said School Committee member Maria Carrasco, representing Neighbor to Neighbor, and Isaac Hodes, a member of Lynn for Obama, were instrumental in rallying local support for the candidate. “Latinos for Obama was a part of the Lynn effort to elect Barack Obama and we also want to be part of the inauguration celebration. We want to participate and be part of the movement for change from the inauguration moving forward,” said Carrasco, founder of Latinos for Obama.Crosby jokingly said the idea of hosting a shoe-throwing contest at the party was only briefly considered. However, he noted that other events related to the inauguration across the country would likely feature such tosses – some posted by the www.MoveOn.org Web site – in recognition of the Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President George Bush during a recent press conference.”I hope to see many of our members at the Franco-American on Inauguration Day. It’s going to be an evening to celebrate the end of Bush, the worst ever, and the dawn of a new day – a new day that will come when we make it happen, and not before,” he said.