photos by Cynthia Dizikes / New21

St. Paul, Minnesota

In the same convention center that will host the Republican National convention in September, Senator Barack Obama declared himself the Democratic nominee for president. “Tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another,” the 46-year-old Illinois senator told the full arena of cheering and sometimes weeping supporters.

He is the first African American to win the presidential nomination of either major political party. Obama’s campaign pulled out all the stops to encourage super delegates who had withheld their endorsements to come out for him on the day that Montana and South Dakota wrapped up the primary season. Giant TV screens projected the MSNBC super-delegate count to the crowd hours before his scheduled speech. Among those who filled the arena were Somali refugees in traditional dress and grade school children clamoring for an autograph.

Obama promised to keep the general election positive. “We are Americans first,” he said, de-emphasizing party-line divisions. The lucky few with seats near Obama’ entrance and exit path waved their copies of his book, “The Audacity of Hope,” at the candidate, pre-inscribed with their names for easy return by staffers who collected them.

“America, this is our moment,” Obama told the nation. For the people here tonight, it was a moment they wanted to be part of.