Nearly 3,000 people packed the Robinson Secondary School gymnasium in Fairfax on Thursday afternoon to hear Sen. Barack Obama’s speech on economic security for women.
The appearance marked Obama’s second speech in Northern Virginia since effectively clinching the Democratic nomination for president June 3. He held a rally at Nissan Pavilion in Prince William County June 5.
People began pouring into the gym more than two hours before the start of the speech, which began just after 1:30 p.m. The crowd varied among a number of chants, including “Barack the Vote” and “We Will Barack You,” in anticipation of the senator’s arrival.
Obama spent much of his talk preaching equal pay for women after holding a “Women for Obama” breakfast Thursday morning in New York with Sen. Hillary Clinton.
“When women make 77 cents for every dollar a man makes, it doesn’t just hurt women, it hurts families,” he said. “The problem is that employers aren’t treating women fairly. That needs to be changed, and I will change it when I’m president.”
Despite the speech’s focus, the crowd featured a significant number of men, children and seniors.
Emerson Ellis, a former federal information-technology specialist from West Springfield, was impressed by the crowd’s variety, which ranged from babies to “my mother-in-law, who’s 82,” he said.
“She’s normally just getting out of bed right now,” he said, checking his watch after the speech. “But Obama got her out of bed at 8 today. I’ve been in the political world a long time, and I’ve never seen this political excitement. I’ve never been this excited about it.”
After Obama’s 30-minute speech and 45-minute question-and-answer period, much of the crowd flocked outside to vendors selling shirts, pins, license-plate holders and stuffed animals.
Cordell Landrum, of Cleveland, who was hawking T-shirts outside, did not make it in to see the speech. His business partner, however, appeared to be well-versed in its topic, repeatedly emphasizing that they had small T-shirts available “for the women and kids.”
Before the speech, Landrum was forced to deal with a small group of Sen. John McCain supporters gathered nearby and chanting the presumptive Republican nominee’s name. The group of about 20 included a young African-American girl toting a “Veterans for McCain” sign.
“It’s America — what can you say, man? They have a right to be here,” he said.
