The older generation said this election year had the presence of the Kennedy era, with great possibilities. The young were hopeful and energized by the momentum and excitement that they could be part of history.

In Chicago’s "Little Village," you walk around and feel as though you are taking a walk through a plaza in Mexico. Any type of Mexican product can be found here. I sat and drank some coffee with Dona Rosa, an older woman, and asked for her opinion on politics.

She said, "Ah mija que de dira, yo ah visto muchas cosa’s en la vida." ("Oh daughter what can I tell you, I have seen a lot of things in my lifetime.")

I asked her if she was excited about the upcoming elections, to which she responded that she had not seen so much excitement and effort from the young in a long time. She said she was excited and that this country was ready for change again. She compared this year’s election with that of President John F. Kennedy.

Kennedy brought a lot of hope and good changes for Hispanics, she said. Even though many associate the Civil Rights era with African-Americans, it also helped Hispanics.

During the Civil Rights era there was a movement and rebellion by the youth. There were leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Mexican-American labor leader Cesar Chavez who were able to mobilize people to boycott and stand up against injustice.

In Illinois Sen. Barack Obama’s speeches, we hear the echo of both Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez. Obama has used Chavez’s legendary "Si, se puede!" ("Yes, we can!") and in other speeches used the cadences that resemble Dr. King. It seems as though Obama has reenergized the momentum and movement of the 1960s during his campaign.

She went on to compare Obama’s charisma and eloquent manner of speaking to Kennedy and the change that he brought. She thought Obama seemed to be a great man like Kennedy and that she hoped that just like in the 1960s when this country was able to over-look Kennedy’s Roman Catholic faith, that today everyone would be able to overlook the fact that Obama was African-American.

My next stop was a well-known Mexican restaurant in the area where I knew I would find younger people. Once I was seated I noticed a group of young adults and I approached them and asked, "What was their opinion on the 2008 election?"

Wow, I hit the jackpot!

They all had plenty to say about issues, the image of the candidate and change. It seemed that the word "change" had no age barrier. What did "change" exactly mean? I asked them to further explain this to me. They explained that this country needed to change its current direction and once again assert itself as a world leader.

I asked them, "What made this election year different from previous election years?"

They said this was the first time that they felt there was a candidate with whom they could really identify. Of course, I had to ask which candidate they identified with the most and the answer was Obama. They felt that he could bring changes and finally break the barrier of race in this country. They felt that a man who was a minority and understood the struggles of life could understand and be compassionate with important issues like immigration.

Immigration seemed to be a major concern within the youth of the Hispanic community. They were especially worried about talk of a 2000 mile border fence also known as, "The Great Wall of Mexico" and that it seems scary that we would enclose ourselves in that manner.

Immigration is an important issue within the Hispanic community, especially in Chicago. It was not that long ago that an immigrant took refuge in a Chicago church to avoid deportation. Immigration is a heated debate across the United States, especially with states such as Texas, where Gov. Rick Perry put cameras on border so you can "watch your borders," which only makes the issue an even hotter debate. This country was founded on immigrants. The groups of people that immigrate into this country change over the years. There was a time when the Irish were discriminated against and now in 2008 it is the Hispanics, more specifically the Mexicans, because we share a border with Mexico.

Hispanic youth feel that Obama is the key to the much-needed change they want. They felt that the image of the candidate was important and they felt they needed someone who would be strong enough to lead this country. They felt that Arizona Sen. John McCain was too old and even though he was a respectable man, he was seen as being feeble.

And then there was New york Sen. Hillary Clinton. The Hispanic youth were not fond of her display of emotion in New Hampshire. They felt that it was okay to cry, but not on national television because they saw crying as a sign of weakness. For them, that summed up their view of the candidates and we know where their vote stands.

I thought I would go and have a discussion with my grandfather and see what he had to say about the Hispanic vote. My grandfather is 82 years-old and does not look a day over 50. He had a lot to say about the 2008 election. First of all, he said, " La raza por fin entenda que necessitan a votar para que le toman encuento." ("Hispanics finally are realizing that they need to vote to be counted.")

My grandfather says this is a country that he almost envisioned for his children. You see my grandfather has told us stories from his childhood where he was reprimanded for speaking Spanish in the classroom as a child. How horrible is that? The Spanish language is part of who I am "mija" (daughter) and the teacher would punish us for speaking our language.

He said he is glad that there has been change and he gives that credit to the Civil Rights Movement and Cesar Chavez. He believes that with this election we will see change and change is always a good thing. He said he favored Hillary because the Clinton years were good years, but Obama seems like he will bring change too. Either way it is exciting because there will be change.

As I walked through another heavily populated area of Hispanics in Chicago known as Pilsen people there were excited about the elections, too.

I spoke with a young man and asked his opinion of this election year.

He explained his parents were migrant workers who worked hard to provide for their family. His family used to go to the "labores" (fields) and pick fruits and vegetables. He explained that his parents had Cesar Chavez who they could go rally with to make change for Hispanics. He felt that this election year was his chance to make a difference and he did. He made sure that all family members who were able to vote were registered for the primaries so that they could vote. He went as far as to bus people back and forth from the polls in his neighborhood.

He remembers the stories his father used to share with him about the rallies with Cesar Chavez and he wants stories like that to share with his children. He feels that this is his generation’s calling to make a difference and he is ready to accept that challenge.

So now we are back to "change."

The Hispanic youth feel that they need change and the person to deliver change is Obama. He is a fresh new face with whom they can identify. They said they were not concerned with the fact that he was a first time senator who had not finished his first term. To them that meant he has had less time to be corrupted by politics.