As Obama was elected to the United States Senate and with talk about his Presidential prospects going beyond our family circle, my wife, Naomi, and I became early and enthusiastic supporters. He made us believe that there was an alternative, another, better America which he could represent and lead, and in which we wanted to be active. We made early modest financial contributions to his campaign, and in turn the campaign identified us, and recruited Naomi in December of 2007to go to the city of White Plains, New York, near our home, to collect signatures to put Obama’s name on the ballot for New York Democratic Primary. She spent an afternoon and collected around 20 signatures. It was hard work. A cold afternoon, people were not yet focused on the election, and those who were did not think that Obama had a chance, nor was he their choice.

Remember Hillary Clinton was our popular Senator. Naomi particularly remembers one African American man who practically laughed in her face that she thought Obama had any chance. Although she did good hard work, I thought I could more easily get as good results at a nearby community center where I swim, and I did.

Our county, Westchester, is a residentially segregated. Renown for wealth, it is actually quite diverse (40% of the population is non white), with significant immigrant neighborhoods and concentrated African American sections, one of which is served by the Theodore Young Community Center. Most of the staff and the patrons of the center are African American, but many other people, Latino, Asian and white, also use the Center, for many different activities. For years, I went to swim. I didn’t socialize. I would put in my mile or two, two or three times a week, without making friends and barely having acquaintances. I worked out and went home, that is, until I decided to try to match Naomi’s collection of signatures, doing so in less than an hour before and after a mid day swim.

In a way, it wasn’t as easy as I had expected. Many of the staff . . .

Read more: Talking about Race in a New World