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She's one happy lady: Ann Nixon Cooper |
But when Obama took to the stage as president-elect in Chicago, he mentioned the centenarian who had once been barred from voting because of the colour of her skin.
He said, "This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta.
"She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
"She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons because she was a woman and because of the colour of her skin.
"And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can."
Ann, who has outlived three of her four children, reportedly said, "I ain't got time to die. "Even if he (Obama) didn't win, I was happy for him just to be nominated."
