DNC - First-time delegates representing Bakersfield and the Kern Valley

By David Lewis, special to the Kern Valley Sun

    DENVER—Two first-time delegates representing Bakersfield and the Kern Valley are sharing a special excitement at the Democratic National Convention here in Denver.
    When Democrat Barack Obama accepts his party’s nomination Thursday at Invesco Field at Mile High in front of 75,000 attendees and millions viewing on worldwide television, Uduak Ntuk will take pride in his own multi-racial background, similar to Obama’s.
And when Obama refers to Martin Luther King and the 45th anniversary of the famous “I Have a Dream” speech, Bernita Jenkins says it reflects a journey for her that  began as an African American in segregated Bakersfield schools. She was born just before the historic 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision and remembers the voting right act and other steps toward racial equality.
“Everything is a highlight here, but Thursday night will be the crescendo,” Jenkins said. “His speech, and his nomination, represent the realization of the values and dreams of a more perfect union.”
Jenkins, a former educator who now works for a non-profit organization and as a community activist, adds that Obama is much more than the first major-party candidate of color.
“He has a different view, he really listens,” she said. The Democratic policies on issues like health care, education and comfortable retirement are ones that she believes will resonate with Kern Valley residents.
Ntuk pointed to his party’s position on important Kern Valley issues like rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure. “The Lake Isabella dam is rated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as the most at-risk dam in the country. We need to heed the lessons of Katrina and fix things ahead of disasters,” he said.
He also pointed to the importance of developing wind as an energy source. “Tehachapi is the #1 source of wind power in the country, and wind is good for our area, American and the environment,” said Ntuk, a petroleum engineer and a part-time graduate student.