Chet Whye was not politically active in Harlem until Barack Obama ran for president in 2008. Whye ran Harlem4Obama, a bustling campaign headquarters, built out of an abandoned store front in Central Harlem. Within a few months, Whye and his team had registered thousands of new voters, and in the final days of the campaign, they were sending busloads of volunteers to Pennsylvania and Ohio. On election night, the office became a gathering spot. It erupted in joy the moment it was announced that America had elected its first black president.
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