Last month, the Norwood News talked with Haile Rivera, a University Heights activist who was one of four people picked to have an intimate dinner with presidential candidate Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. on July 10. Rivera was randomly picked to attend the dinner after donating $25 (not a huge contribution but a relatively big chunk of change for Rivera) to Obama’s campaign.

Though Obama, who was in Iowa earlier that day, didn’t show up until 10 p.m. (Rivera joked to an Obama aide that, at this hour, they should all just go out for beers and shoot pool), Rivera said the Democratic senator from Illinois was very thoughtful, modest and easygoing during their meal at the District Chop House and Brewery. Rivera said they had a great conversation, a portion of which aired on the “Today Show,” that ranged from war (one of the diners was the wife an American soldier serving in Iraq) to poverty and teen pregnancy.

Toward the end of the meal, Rivera gave Obama two gifts: a book on the history of the Dominican Republic (Rivera’s home country) and a Bronx baseball cap. He then invited Obama to visit the Boogie Down as a presidential candidate and Obama replied: “Let’s make that happen.”

Now Rivera is working to create a pro-Obama movement here in the Bronx and citywide called New Yorkers for Obama because he believes in him.

In addition to his duties working for the New York City Food Bank, Rivera has started his own nonprofit and is also contemplating a City Council run in the slot soon to be vacated by Maria Baez, who is term limited. Rivera (no relation to any of the Bronx’s political Riveras who are Puerto Rican) wants to be the first Dominican Council member from a Bronx district, he says. Aside from volunteering, Rivera’s never worked in politics before, but he says that is a positive.

“I’m not anti-establishment,” Rivera said, “but at the same time you gotta get some fresh blood in there.”