8:12 p.m.
From the Chicago Sun-Times' Kate Grossman: Live from the ticket holder line near Columbus and Congress
"Welcome to Election Night at Grant Park" is the message broacast over loudspeakers to greet the giddy people lucky enough to be standing in the ticket holder line to get into the festivities at Grant Park.
The crowds are black and white, young and old, bikers and T-shirt hawkers.
In the middle of the crowd stands 37-year-old Brenda Shiller, an African-American Chicago teacher, who is protectively hugging her 10-year-old daughter, Justice.
The girl's t-shirt says it all: "Obama '08: Grant Park, I was there."
Brenda Shiller said "tonight is one of the most important nights in the lives of African- Americans, win or lose."
"A month ago I thought this was important because it is the first time black children can believe they can be president," Shiller said. "But then I realized that Obama must have believed that when he was a boy.
"This shows the barriers between us aren't real. I didn't think this would happen in my lifetime," she said, before she and her daughter disappeared into the crowd.
One obstacle the crowd has to step over: large amounts of horse droppings from the numerous mounted police patrolling the area.
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