The Romeros came to Mount Zion Baptist Church on Saturday to find out how they can help Barack Obama win the 2008 presidential election.

The black couple was inspired by the diverse crowd of more than 125 people who attended the rally at the oldest historically African-American Baptist church in the state. For them, skepticism about the "blackness" of the U.S. senator from Illinois is divisive and distracting.

"It's not about, 'Is America ready for a black president?' " said Victoria Romero, 58, of Seattle. "The question is, 'Do we want an intelligent president?' "

Campaign experts have pointed to the black vote, especially in the South, as critical to any presidential candidate's chances of capturing the White House. Black support for Obama's candidacy has been rising dramatically, challenging the Democratic front-runner, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll in February found that 44 percent of black voters supported Obama and 33 percent supported Clinton. In the two previous months' polls, Obama had trailed Clinton by a ratio of 3-to-1 in black support.

Most Americans first became aware of Obama when the lanky Illinois state senator and U.S. Senate candidate delivered the keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. Obama went on to win his race and became the third African-American since Reconstruction sworn in to the U.S. Senate.

Since Obama, 45, formally declared his run for president last month, the Internet has been abuzz about the youthful contender, whose second nonfiction book, "The Audacity of Hope," is currently No. 2 on the New York Times' hardcover best-seller list.

On www.blackplanet.com, one of the largest online black forums, Obama's candidacy has been a hot topic, with some critics saying he's inexperienced, hasn't taken any tough stances and has no clear agenda for helping improve the lives of blacks.

But Ray Gould, 77, of Bothell, said he was inspired by Obama's 2004 speech in Boston and his books.

"That guy is my hero," said Gould, who is white. "He has the ability to connect with people more than anyone I've seen before."

"Now we have a candidate that can do more than offer token hope," said Charlie James, 55, a community organizer, in a brief speech. "We have a candidate who can win in America and win new friends for America abroad."

The rally was organized by Washington for Obama Grassroots, which plans to post future rallies on its Web site, www.obama08-wa.com.