Haile's Dinner Party Date with Obama

Barack Obama has selected 2009 City Council candidate Haile Rivera of the Bronx as one of the winners of his "Dinner with Barack" competition, the Obama campaign just announced.

"This dinner is about hearing from the everyday experts like Haile on how we can work together to change the problems like our broken education system and the need to give a helping hand to the people who need it most," said Obama in a statement.  "Haile's commitment to giving back to his community by helping prepare the next generation of leaders is what changing this country is all about." 

The campaign described Rivera, who blogs on Room 8, as a community program specialist who "feels that Barack Obama understands the importance of increasing employment and education opportunities for minorities."

In July, Rivera will sit around the dinner table at a Washington DC restaurant with Obama, a miner from Nevada, a working mother from California and a former Republican firefighter from Florida.