> http://newsone. com/obama/ antigua-names- mountain- after-obama-
> on-his-birthday/
>
> Antigua Names Mountain After Obama On His Birthday
>
> By Associated Press August 4, 2009 4:14 pm
>
> Antigua’s highest mountain officially became “Mount Obama” on Tuesday
> as the small Caribbean nation celebrated the American president on his
> birthday and saluted him as a symbol of black achievement.
>
> Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer presided over the re-christening
> ceremony at the base of the mountain, unveiling a stone sculpture and
> plaque honoring the president as an inspiration in the twin-island
> nation of Antigua and Barbuda and throughout the Caribbean.
>
> “This great political achievement by Barack Obama resonated with me in
> a way that I felt compelled to do something symbolic and inspiring,”
> Spencer told the crowd of about 300, including several U.S. officials,
> at the base of the mountain near the island’s southern coast.
>
> “As an emancipated people linked to our common ancestral heritage and
> a history of dehumanizing enslavement, we need to at all times
> celebrate our heroes and leaders who through their actions inspire us
> to do great and noble things,” Spencer said.
>
> The plaque on the rock sculpture at the base of the mountain reads:
> “Mount Obama, named in honor of the historical election on Nov. 4,
> 2008, of Barack Hussein Obama, the first black president of the United
> States of America, as a symbol of excellence, triumph, hope and
> dignity for all people.”
>
> Spencer announced his intention to rename the mountain, previously
> known as Boggy Peak, shortly after the election. The gesture reflected
> the U.S. leader’s widespread popularity in the country, where it is
> common to see Obama bumper stickers and T-shirts.
>
> The prime minister has also announced plans for Mount Obama to become
> a national park with a museum and other amenities. The tree-covered
> mountain has pineapple and mango farms at its base and rises about
> 1,300 feet (396 meters) along the island’s southern coast. Its peak,
> topped with a radio antenna, offers views of the Caribbean Sea and the
> island of Montserrat and its active volcano in the distance.
>
> Antigua’s reigning calypso monarch, Trevor “Zacari” King, played a
> rendition of “For You Barack” for a crowd that included American
> actress Angela Bassett, who wept during the performance, and U.S.
> Congresswoman Yvette Clark, a Brooklyn native of Jamaican heritage.
>
> “It wasn’t only about Barack Obama. It was about the history of black
> people around the world and the struggle and sacrifices that have been
> done so that he could rise to the position that he is in today,”
> Bassett said.
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