It's taken about a week for me to really grasp the meaning of Barack Obama being elected the 44th US President. I have heard hundreds of people on TV and in person proclaim what his election means. Since last Tuesday, I have reflected on many things such as watching the turbulent years of the 1960's Civil Rights Movement unfold before my eyes as youth on the nightly news and my personal experiences with racism and segregation in this country. I even thought about my work as an African American Democratic Party activist in the 70's, 80's and 90's, where I felt my color limited my possibilities.

Most of my thoughts have focused on my parents and grandparents. It has always been hard for me to imagine the hurt and hate that they experienced growing up and living in the segregated south. My parents were born in the 1920's and my grandparents in the 1890's.  Some of the stories they told me about the Klan and racial violence they witnessed are still fresh in my mind.

My father is the only one left at eighty-nine years and when I talked to him the day after the election, I could feel his pride over the phone. Of all the statements I have heard about Obama's election, the one that moved me the most was by a friend who told me that she was talking with a white male friend of hers who has a one-year-old daughter. And, he said, " think about it, if Obama serves for two terms my child will be close to ten years old when he leaves office. And, for the first decade of her life the only image she will know as President of the United States will be a black man."

Now that's something to think about. An entire generation of youth will grow up seeing a black man as the most powerful man in the world. Some of us older folks are still basking in the newness of the fact that based on Obama's election, the promise and hope of America is available to everybody. But,  most of the pre-school aged kids, teenagers and young adults will be very comfortable with this new reality. They will not know the ceilings, limits, barriers and boundaries of the past.

Democratic National Committee Chairman, Howard Dean, said at a lunch with the members of The National Press Club the day after the election, "there was a mandate by the young voters in this election for us to stop fighting over things that mattered twenty-five years ago, that no longer matter".  Chairman Dean is correct. Cleary the younger voters are operating under a new paradigm.  

As I said on this page on October 29th,  ‘this presidential campaign is an example of old paradigms and politicking vs. new ones". The old politics are based on fear, and differences. The new Obama politics are based on inclusion and mutual destiny. It's no longer about what divides us. The new focus is on finding common ground that can unite us. Now for it to continue to work, we all have to do our share. Let's not let this shining moment pass and go back to politics as usual.

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You can learn more about me at http:/.blog.jayspeights.com/ .  And be sure to buy my book, "Harmonious Day."

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