Hillary Clinton makes campaign stop at PCC
By Melinda Harrell
Published in News on November 4, 2016 10:48 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Hillary Clinton supporters teemed with excitement Thursday as they waited for their candidate to take the stage at an early-voting campaign rally at Pitt Community College in Winterville.
A crowd of nearly 1,000 endured long lines for hours before Clinton took the stage. Some wore shirts with the campaign slogan, "I'm With Her." Others donned t-shirts reflecting their own messages.
Dorothy Stith, a strong supporter of Clinton, sported a special screen printed shirt that read, "Prepare to vote, educate yourself."
"I made this myself," Stith said with a smile. "I'm a very strong supporter of her."
"I have been with her when she went to China and said women's rights were human rights. When she began CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) in North Carolina, I was with her then. She is intelligent, studied, and she has a lot of experience."
Several supporters cited Clinton's 30-year public service career.
Sandra Tyson showed off her bright pink shirt with "Madam President" printed in black ink. She said she supported Clinton in 2008 when she put in her bid for the Democratic nomination against President Barack Obama, and said that her enthusiasm for Clinton is in part due to legislation introduced by the former-New York Senator that led to her special needs daughter living a richer life.
"I support her because of some of things she passed for special needs (people)," she said.
"I have a special needs child, my daughter benefits from that. I always followed her, even before she was against Obama, I was for her then. It isn't about race or gender. She is a genuine person, and she has a genuine, caring spirit."
Before the rally began, three women stood a bit farther back from the stage all laughing with each other in convivial conversation.
Negwe Abgen, Amira Ali and Shadie Rehmen were discussing Clinton's opponent, Republican candidate Donald Trump, and his speech a few days ago during which he reminded himself to "stay on point."
"'Stay on point, Donald, stay on point,'" Rehmen said with a smile.
"We don't need a president that has to remind himself to do that. He has only stayed on point for two days, and he already has to remind himself he needs to."
Abgen said she supports Clinton and liked her when she was first lady, but also acknowledged that Trump as an alternative was not suitable to her.
"I don't like Donald Trump's character," she said. "I love (Hillary Clinton's) politics."
Congressman G.K. Butterfield and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton emphasized the importance of North Carolina in the presidential election and the qualifications of Clinton to serve as president.
"I have been watching the news very intensely over the last few weeks, and you must know that the eyes of the nation are on North Carolina," Butterfield said.
And though Butterfield and Norton gave rousing endorsements for Clinton, it was May Brown Wiggins that appealed to the crowd with an emotional introduction.
As Wiggins gave a testimonial about Donald Trump and his family refusing to rent properties to people based on their race - she being one of the complainants in the 1970s lawsuit between Trump and the Department of Justice - she openly wept.
"The Trumps had turned me away because the color of my skin," she said emotionally.
"And they had done the same things to many others."
She said she could not recount the time in her life without being "tearful" with several in the crowd of supporters shouting, "We love you."
"I love you, too," she replied.
Wiggins introduced Clinton to the stage amid thunderous applause and shouts from the audience, including chants of "Hillary, Hillary, Hillary."
Clinton began her speech by addressing the hardships that Hurricane Matthew inflicted on North Carolina.
"My heart goes out to everyone that has been affected," she said.
She also highlighted the stark differences between her and Trump, focusing on her legislative record and her stances on health care, equal rights and temperament.
"Did anyone see the debates?" she asked.
"I stood next to Donald Trump for four and half hours, proving conclusively that I have the stamina to be president. He kept saying, 'What have you done for 30 years?' Well, we know what he has done for the last 30 years, starting with discriminating against African Americans and denying them housing back in the 1970s," she said.
"I chose a different path. I have spent my career fighting for kids and families. I helped create the Children's Health Insurance Program as first lady. That now provides health care to 8 million children a year."
Clinton also put emphasized her work as a senator specifically the work she did to help rebuild the city after Sept. 11 and helping first responders who were on the ground that day.
"As a senator from New York, I've worked to rebuild New York City after the 9/11 attacks and to provide healthcare to our brave first responders that ran to danger and not away from it," she said to a roar of applause.
In the crowd a woman shouted, "I was there with you, Hillary."
Clinton pointed to the woman and said, "Were you there? God bless you. I meet people all over who were there, who worked there, and I meet people who got sick because they worked there."
Clinton also compared what her presidency would look like to what Trump's would be, saying she supported equal pay, not raising taxes for those making less than $250,000 and "making sure Wall Street does not tank Main Street again."
"One way or another, come this January, America is going to have a new president," she said.
"And it will be either me or Donald Trump. And you know what else, people say all the time I want change. Well, change is certain. The question is what kind of change? Are we going to work together to build a stronger, better America or are we going to fear the future and fear each other and hunker down and be paralyzed by all our prejudices and discrimination that stops us from coming together?"