Less than 50 years ago in this country, black people had to sit in the backs of busses, drink from their own water fountains and use their own restrooms. To our country’s naïve leaders, they were viewed as racially inferior to whites and did not deserve the same privileges we did – despite the fact that on January 1, 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation where he freed all slaves in the rebellious states. During this time of racial segregation in our country, many thought that there would never come a time when blacks and whites would be treated equally. Thankfully, segregation has been abolished in this country and now blacks and whites are treated as equals…

…and on November 4th, for the first time in the history of our Nation, Barack Obama became the first black President of the United States.

I have to say that I am pretty excited about this historic event. I think that it shows that, while our Nation has come a long way from the days of segregation, we have come even farther in achieving something that most people (including myself) probably never thought they would see in their lifetime. I have African-American friends that are web developers, investigators – I even have a very dear African-American friend of mine who is an Archbishop. But now that Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States – it sends a very clear message that African-Americans in this country can truly accomplish anything.

While I may be excited about Barack Obama becoming President, I am sure that my excitement does not even compare to the jubilation of the African-American community. As soon as the networks started declaring Obama the winner, I saw people crying and dancing in the streets – because to them – this event is much more significant. U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, who was brutally beaten by police in Selma, Alabama, during a voting rights march in 1965, had this to say about election night. “This is a great night. This is an unbelievable night. Tonight we can celebrate and thank God almighty. Martin Luther King must be looking down from the heavens and saying ‘hallelujah.’”

I am sure that reactions like that happened all over the country. While my views of Obama being President are positive because I did vote for him, that is an entirely different column. I wanted this one to be exclusively about the historic moment we have all just lived through. By electing Obama, our country showed our African-American youth that there is no limit to what they can accomplish. That when it comes to “what they want to be when they grow up,” there possibilities are endless and if they put their mind to it, they can be whatever they want to be – even President of the United States.

I congratulate President-Elect Barack Obama on becoming the first African-America President. I hope that his victory eliminates the remnants of racial prejudice that are unfortunately still out there. I hope that his victory will make African-Americans more hopeful that the issue of race is a dying one. And I hope that this is not the one and only time we will elect an African-American into the highest office in the land.

It may have taken four decades since Mart Luther King Jr.’s famous speech – but I think now, it is safe to say – that Dr. King’s dream came true.