Where were you when Barack Obama was elected president?

On a day called historic by all and which inspired spontaneous joy across the country and world, I spent Election day and night with the Obama group in my hometown San Diego, first at their headquarters in a closed business on Euclid Ave. then downtown in the San Diego Concourse Center’s Golden Hall. People have gathered there every year since I was a kid to watch local results come in.

Election Day and Night with San Diego Obama volunteers from Khari Johnson on Vimeo.

I was interviewing an Obama volunteer a few seconds before it was announced. After the room of volunteers and their families exchanged hugs and shows of jubilation, they grabbed a banner and hit the Golden Hall floor with TV news crews and thousands of people.

As soon as they reached the floor, the group of about 30 people’s chants of “O-ba-ma!” was mum over the crowd’s murmur. But almost immediately the crowd would echo them then ratchet up the whistles and clapping.

Here also are interviews with Idris “Chad” Hameed, Abdirahim Abdirahman and Levi Thomas, three black men I asked about their involvement in the Barack Obama campaign.

Levi Thomas is a truck driver and church deacon who spent his Nov. 4 morning making phone calls to prospective voters and encourage them to vote.

“How am I going to stay involved? By becoming a better citizen. By becoming a better steward of what God has left us with.”

Idris goes as Chad and is 14-years-old. His parents run the San Diego regional field office. He wants to be a journalist covering war and international conflict.

“We came from shackles and all that stuff to running for the president and everything.”

Abdirahim grew up in San Diego’s Lincoln Park neighborhood and is a 20-year-old student at City College of San Diego. He was born in Somalia and came here when he was five. He is very proud of Obama’s accomplishment especially but not only because they are from the same part of east Africa. Both Chad and Abdirahim made trips to knock on doors in Las Vegas last month.

“It means a dream come true making it happen, making the dream of Martin Luther King happen.”