I Felt Like a Fresh Prince

Last night, I attended an Obama For America event for young professionals at Brixx in uptown. I didn't go to show support for Barack Obama or to learn more about his candidacy, (I could be voting for him; I could be not.) instead I went to see Ashley Banks! I'm sorry, make that Tatyana Ali.

The former child star from The Fresh Prince of Belair is now a grown woman. Currently she's an Obama surrogate, traveling the country to drum up support for Obama's presidential campaign. With the North Carolina Democratic Primary right around the corner on May 6 (and more important than it's ever been), she spent a couple of days in Charlotte. She came to Brixx for a small, intimate gathering after leading a crowded, loud rally earlier in the evening at UNC Charlotte.

So I came to see Ali. It's not like I have a childhood crush or am easily star struck. (As a professional journalist I never ask for autographs and only occasionally take photos with the stars. I did pose with her. I think I said something funny before the photo was snapped.) I came to hear what she had to say and to understand why celebrities such as herself choose to lend their voices and images to political campaigns. I made my mind up a few months ago as to which candidate I'm supporting, and even if I hadn't I don't think any celebrity could persuade me. But I'm sure the candidates respect our intelligence more than that. They know that we should be making informed decisions. But a little star power never hurts.

Ali is just as you would hope a child-star-now-adult would be. She's a beautiful young lady who did a tremendous job in articulating her views as to why she believes we should support Obama. She has a degree from Harvard, she's a role model, she seems to have managed her money well, and she's never been in trouble with the law. If you think about it, she's Ashley Banks!