Sharpton's arrival to the center for at-risk youth came an hour later than expected, but supporters refused to leave until they could shake hands with the man they said will be the next president of the United States.

"I want all the children to see the first black president of the United States to be," said Florence City Councilman Ed Robinson.

"Every other president has had a face different from what yours is," he said. "We're going to change that tomorrow. Tell your parents to vote for the man who looks like them."

Sharpton told the youth at the center that no matter what the circumstances may be in their lives, they, too, can make a difference.

"I grew up on welfare, my father left when I was a kid," he said. "But I didn't grow up to be a drug dealer ... Don't ever let anyone decide for you your ambition."

Weed & Seed is an initiative sponsored by the U.S. Justice Department in which the U.S. Attorney's Office officially designates a given community as a target area because of a high crime rate. It's determined that significant measures of intervention must be implemented for the community return to a state of normalcy.

The Florence target area runs from Oakland Avenue to Wilson Road to Irby Street to Darlington Street, back to Oakland Avenue, serving a nearly all-black population.

The presidential hopeful's presence is vital to a neighborhood like this, Louise Jordan of Florence said, if for no other reason than to get people registered to vote.

"Myself and all of my children are registered to vote and go out and vote," said Jordan. "This was a great visit, but I do think there needs to be more of an emphasis on registering to vote. If you aren't registered to vote, you can't make a difference."

Nat King, 57, of Florence had other concerns. He said he was disappointed in the turnout for this event.

"We are weak on publicizing things," King said. "We've got a candidate, and we need to support him."

Jordan and King said they support Sharpton, not because of his skin color but because of his stand against the war in Iraq, on health care and tax rebates.