New Haven Independent

Obama will deliver an acceptance speech at INVESCO football stadium Thursday night to become the first-ever African-American presidential candidate nominated by a major party.

Larson — Connecticut’s First District U.S. representative — is giving up his seats to two former Hartford mayors: Thirman Milner, who became the first African-American mayor in New England; and Carrie Saxon-Perry, the first female black mayor in a major U.S. history.

Larson, meanwhile, plans to be back in Hartford to watch the speech with his constituents at the Artists Collective on Albany Avenue.

“They’re taking my seats at the stadium,” Larson proudly proclaimed at Monday morning’s Connecticut delegation breakfast here in Denver.

“This is about who we are as a country. It’s also about race,” Larson said calling Thursday’s upcoming speech by Obama “historic.” He noted Obama’s speech will be given on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

“I hope all of you are feeling the sense of history,” he said. “There’s an electricity in the air here.”

He said Barack Obama is the “bridge to the future.”

Kennedy Appearance?

Meanwhile, Ted Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Kiki, who live in Branford, stopped by the Connecticut delegation breakfast Monday.

Kennedy told the delegates that he spent some time this summer with his father, U.S. Sen.Ted Kennedy, who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. The younger Kennedy said his father was in good spirits and doing well.

Monday night there will be a tribute to the Kennedy family at the Pepsi Center. The Baltimore Sun is reporting that Senator Kennedy is in Denver and will possibly make an appearance.