Christopher Pittman, a 26-year-old black Army sergeant from Whiteville, N.C. who recently returned from his second tour of duty in Iraq, came to yesterday's "spiritual unity rally" at Trinity Missionary Baptist Church to learn about Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

"I'm here to listen," Pittman said, saying Obama's multiracial ethnicity or his connections to Hawai'i mattered little to him. "I just want to know, if he's running for president, what he will do to meet the needs of all Americans."

Pittman, a chemical operations specialist, his wife, Elizabeth, and 4-year-old son Joshua were encouraged to attend the rally by Michael A. "Hurricane" Henderson, bishop and pastor of New Life Body of Christ Church in Wahiawa.

Pittman and his family were among about 125 people who showed up for the two-hour rally, which featured the reading of a letter from Punahou graduate Obama by his half sister, Honolulu resident Maya Soetoro-Ng.

In his letter, the Hawai'i-born Illinois senator spoke of the challenges facing the country presented by "war, a broken healthcare system, the threat of environmental ruin, schools that are leaving too many children behind despite the slogans" and that " ... these are not simply technical problems in search of the perfect 10-point plan."

"They are moral problems rooted in both societal indifference and individual callousness, in the imperfections of man," the letter stated. " ... These are challenges (that) test our conscience, as Americans and people of faith. And what's stopped us from meeting them is not the absence of sensible plans, it's the smallness of our politics and a failure of leadership. It's a Washington that says 'you're on your own' when Americans need a helping hand."

Pittman heard enough to commit his support for Obama.

The rally celebrated the history of Juneteenth with a look to the future, said Bettye Jo Harris, one of the event's organizers.

Juneteenth — June 19, 1865 — is considered the date when the last slaves in America were freed, in Texas. That was 2 1/2 years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Over-fifty-something Willie Bennermon, a Chester, S.C., native who moved to Hawai'i in 1970; and Richard Stancliff, 64, a part-time Hawai'i resident from Austin, Texas, said they feel the hope in Obama's candidacy that they felt when John F. Kennedy ran for president.

"I liked Kennedy and Clinton, and I think (Obama) is the best outlook for the future," said Bennermon, who is black. "He has a new perspective that looks forward, and he has the charisma of JFK, which is why people are drawn to him."

Stancliff, who is white, added, "I read both his books and feel he's bright, articulate and has the right values. I think his candidacy has similar risks (as the Kennedys) because he is someone trying to move the country in the right direction, away from special-interest groups."

Andy Winer and Brian Schatz, from Obama's Hawai'i campaign team, are encouraging voter registration and in-person support for the candidate on Feb. 19, 2008, at the Democratic caucus to elect 29 national convention delegates.

The Rev. Dr. Dwight E. Cook, of Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, summed up yesterday's rally by noting, "We need unity in the community."

"If you can join the military and pull the trigger," Cook added, "why can't you go to the poll and pull the lever?"

Independent filmmakers Miles Jackson and Steve Okino filmed yesterday's rally for a projected one-hour documentary about blacks in Hawai'i.

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.