Dear editor,

On May 24, six women from Selma went to Camden to help Abbie Jackson and her volunteers open Friends of Obama office, 213 Clairborne St., in Wilcox County.

We were greeted by a wonderful sign, “Train to Change; Power Concedes Nothing Without Demand! Never Have – Never Will. All aboard on the Train to Change.”

Abbie Jackson introduced the speaker, your own Millie Lee Dulaney, Friends of Obama Black Belt coordinator.

We eight women discussed the reason we were working for Obama to win in November. Since our women came from many walks of life – we had two senior citizens, one educator, two in the medical field, three business women, two high school students, the issues were:

The cost of living in the poorest county in Alabama: The gas price in Wilcox County is $3.98. Why so high in this county?

Lack of insurance in our Black Belt counties: No dental plan for anyone over 21 years of age. Medicaid does not pay. So many are going without dental care in the state of Alabama.

Lack of service for the elderly: We have been told if you are disabled and not on any kind of medication, you will not get the service many senior citizens require in the Black Belt.

Our educators are all overworked with lack of materials for their students. Black Belt counties have the highest dropout rate. Many want to say it’s because of single parenting. That will no longer work. It’s not the reason our students are leaving the school.

We, as a community, can change the gas price in this country if we all do what Rosa Parks and any other. Let’s stop driving for just one day in this country. The prices would go down. As long as we feed these oil thieves, the more they will steal from us.

We have a saying, “Courage to change the things we can and the wisdom to know the difference.”

It’s time for change in this country. We, the people, make up our country.

We, Friends of Obama Selma, thank Abbie Jackson and her volunteers for hosting the grand opening. Also, the courage to open her doors to us.

Let’s all of us in our beloved Black Belt get on board this train for change.

We shall all overcome. Yes we can!

God bless Alabama. God bless America.

Millie Lee Dulaney