CAMBRIA COUNTY, Pa. -- On Aug. 28, 45 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. He spoke about not judging someone on the color of their skin, but rather, their character and ideas. That's why Democratic supporters claim the nomination of Sen. Barack Obama is such a huge moment in American history.

Thursday evening, hundreds of people packed into churches, theaters, restaurants and campaign offices around the Alleghenies to watch history unfold. There were some 200 watch parties going on across the state, including at the St. James Baptist Church in the Hornerstown section of Johnstown. Folks gathered around wall projectors brought in by the campaign to watch Obama's speech.

"Folks have begun to disregard color and look at a person for their worth," said Dr. Ralph Johnson, the pastor at St. James. "People are thinking, let's try something different."

Johnson said he hopes as November nears, people will pay less attention to color and focus more on the issues and bettering the country.