Hackensack resident Bart Haverty was among the crowd of people inside Mount Olive Baptist Church on Central Avenue eagerly awaiting the start of Sen. Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Pausing amidst shouts of the popular campaign slogan "Yes, we can," Haverty admitted that he hadn’t always been sure that Obama could be nominated to run for President of the United States.

"I didn’t think I would see this in my lifetime," said Haverty, 42, commenting on fellow African-American Obama’s potential ascension to the White House. "My father-in-law is 75, and he is resistant to believing in this. For so long, it just wasn’t possible. We are right at the cusp of seeing something historic. This is a proud moment for me as a black man, and it’s a proud moment for me as an American."

Democratic delegates hopeful

While his congregants watched from his church, the Rev. Gregory Jackson, pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church, was in Denver as a member of New Jersey’s Obama delegation to the convention. Jackson’s mood was definitely elevated in the Mile High City.

"I cannot remember a moment as gratifying to me since my children were born," said Jackson in a phone interview. "It’s a wonderful moment for America, and it’s a wonderful moment for African-Americans given our history in this country. Obama’s speech comes on the anniversary of Dr. King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech, and to me this is a fulfillment of that dream. It’s very moving to me."

Regarding the question of whether American voters are truly ready to elect an African-American president, Jackson believes that society has moved forward.

"We might have come here on different ships, but we are all in the same boat right now," he said. "Gas costs the same for all of us. It costs the same for all of us to send our children to college. My son can die in a war just like anybody else. I would like to think that voters are looking at the issues, as well as a candidate’s ability, intellect and vision for our country, as opposed to the package that he comes in."

For Jackson, the convention was a package of experiences rolled into one.

"The convention to me is somewhere between a revival meeting and a party," he said. "It resonates in my soul. When I come home, I’m ready to go and register some voters to help get Barack in and get America back on track."

Another Bergen-based Obama delegate believes that his candidate’s potential victory in November could revive America’s international reputation.

"I traveled through Europe earlier this year, and the people I met were extremely excited about Sen. Obama running for president," said State Assemblyman Gordon Johnson (D-Englewood) as he made his way to Obama’s acceptance speech in Denver. "He will bring our diplomatic credibility back overseas."

Primary rifts seen to be healed

Before Obama got to this position within close reach of the White House, he had to fight a tough primary battle with Sen. Hillary Clinton. After much speculation about whether campaign trail animosity would linger at the convention, State Senator Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck), an early Obama backer, seemed relieved.

"New Jersey obviously voted for Hillary Clinton," said Weinberg in a phone interview from Denver, a reference to Clinton’s 10-point victory in the Feb. 5 Democratic presidential primary. "But after Sen. Clinton asked her delegates to cast all their votes by acclimation for Barack Obama, we were having breakfast with some of the New Jersey women who were the most intimately involved with the Hillary campaign. They are all Obama supporters now."

In remarks made at another delegate breakfast, U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-Fair Lawn), another early Obama supporter who serves as the candidate’s Northeast regional campaign co-chair, noted that the primary battle tested Obama’s mettle in an ultimately beneficial way.

"I think Barack Obama needed some of that scar tissue, some of that toughening up that Senator Clinton gave him," said Rothman in a previously published report. "I hope, whoever you supported in the primary, you will unite behind our candidate and know that you have my thanks and Barack’s thanks."

Weinberg, a convention veteran, was impressed with this year’s panoply of speakers. She was moved by the ailing Sen. Ted Kennedy’s speech, impressed by Michelle Obama’s poise, touched by vice-presidential nominee Sen. Joe Biden’s unique and tragic back story and pleased with the conciliatory and Obama-affirming touchstones of both Bill and Hillary Clinton’s speeches. But all the words Weinberg heard were threaded into one common theme.

"Each evening, I felt that I was a witness to history," she said. "We’ve turned a corner in the United States. We have a lot of work to do between now and Nov. 4. But we’ve got lots of new Democrats registered in New Jersey, and if they took the time to register for the February primary, they’re coming out to vote in November."

And now, the hard part

Back in Hackensack, onlookers at Mount Olive Baptist Church cheered when Obama hammered home one of the main themes of his presidential campaign.

"You have shown what history teaches us, that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn’t come from Washington. Change comes to Washington," he said.

At the end of the speech, Deacon Robert Robinson pointed to a stack of voter registration forms in the back of the room and reminded his listeners that Obama will not get to the White House unless his supporters do their part.

"We, the people need to step up," he said. "We need to get people registered, get people to vote, get people to the polls, and take this state," he said. "We need to ensure that Barack Obama takes New Jersey not by just a few percentage points but by a landslide."

"I’ve got 1,000 registration forms, and I plan to file them all," Robinson added. "We need to start now."

On his way back home, Haverty was ready to get back on the campaign trail to help Obama during the next two intense months.

"I’ve always cared, but I care even more now after what I’ve heard," he said. "I see a leader, and I’m ready to line up behind a leader. I expect this nation to change for the better. It’s taken a long time, but America is finally living up to its promise. I feel renewed."