We’ve come so far in 25 years...

The thought that America could elect a black president was one that many people would wish for but not imagine would come to fruition. There are times when you're a child and you are told you can be anything you want to be, you imagine yourself a scientist, an actor, a famous person... President of the United States of America. But just as the realization that America was not ready for an black actor to win an Oscar or black architect to be head of the American Institute of Architects, you realize you'll never really achieve the presidency of the USA. You dare to examine your life with an understanding that there is but so far you can make it.

Even in a household where I was taught I could achieve anything and was never told of the limits society would give me, I believed that as a race, we'd come so far. I was taught of the famous black scientist, entrepreneurs and athletes. The ones who stood on the soul of Nazi Germany and showed what the non-Arian race could achieve. The ones who could create over 100 uses for peanuts, the ones who could transform music, change the way we drive, the way we live, and the ways we cheat death. Black people have broken boundaries before in the military, in arts and science. But there has always been a glass ceiling.

When I was young I heard the term "Nigger" and "Nigga" thrown around from comics to people on the street to family members. I had personally held strong to not allowing them to find their way into my life. I had believed strongly that these words were as hurtful and degrading as the history of them. The NAACP has held a funeral for the word, there have been comics who have given up the word, and white people who still abuse and use it. But the word has nothing as detrimental as some of the acts I've seen in my life.

A trip to Florida, we pull into a Denny's for breakfast. If you were around in the late 80's early 90's you know how Denny's was a symbol of racism. But you have moments you hope that Denny's would just be a nice place to get breakfast. And there were many times we ate at Denny's when I was younger and we'd visit Disney. But this time, you saw the lack of service, the blatant ignoring, and just as soon as we had realized what was going on, we had left.

In Cape Cod, after a long bike ride with a few friends, we pull up to a diner and decide we're going to have breakfast there. We're told that in this empty diner, there are no seats available. In our naivety we believe that maybe most the diner is closed to cleaning or whatever the purpose. The moment a few white woman walk in and are instantly seated, we ask if there are tables available yet, and are told, they're not sure when a table would be ready for us. So we leave, crushed and victimized by the racism of a society that is no ready for a black president.

In South Carolina, at a McDonald's the ultimate experience of racism in my life. On line, getting closer to order, I'm the first black person on the line, and I'm next up. The call comes, "Next." I step up, and the person taking orders says "No, not you, you there sir, next." Sadly, at this point in my life, I've accounted it to my location, "I'm in the South" - I said to myself. I should expect this. But the year was 2000, I shouldn't have expected anything more then to be treated as a human being.

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008. And the only thoughts I have are "how are white people going to take this away from us." Barack Hussein Obama, II. A black man, with a black wife and black kids. Harvard educated lawyer from Hawaii, first term senator, with a credible feasible chance to win the presidency. What is going to happen to take this away from us? We've seen in 2000 votes not counted of a predominantly black community. We've seen a president loose while winning the popular vote. And Chris Rock hit the nail on the head: "People still think having the most votes means he's going to win."

But 11:01pm, CNN announced that Barack Hussein Obama, II is the new president-elect. John McCain gave his concession speech and the world turned an ear to Chicago and a dream to hope.

And I am finally a victim of not racism, but hope; of not apathy, but empathy. I am now vindicated of years of unnecessary boundaries and glass ceilings, I am no longer a caged bird. I for once in my life believe that anything is possible, that I can achieve anything I set my hopes to. And again, Chris Rock hit the nail on the head: "I no longer have to tell my children they can be anything they want to be." Because now its just known, you can be. Have you ever been so liberated in your life as to know you are finally accepted? That you finally live in the home of the free?

I broke down Wednesday afternoon when I realized that my personal limitations are no longer being in the turbulence of Caucasian mediocrity, but I can truly be the greatest. Its like the first time a jazz musician of the 40s played in Europe and saw the appreciation for the art, without worrying about the color of the artist.

These last 4 years, though marred with economic downturns, a never-ending war on terror, and more things then I plan on listing. We can say as a community of people, we've finally climbed onto the shoulders of the giants who fought for the Civil Rights Act. We have a black president of the American Institute of Architects, first black governor of New York, first black elected Governor, first black Secretary of State.

But as Julian Bonds said at the 2002 NAACP National Convention, its too late for us to still be having first. Its almost sad from that point of view all the first in my lifetime, and I'm not old:

1983

* First African-American astronaut: Guion Stewart "Guy" Bluford, Jr. (Challenger mission STS-8).
* First African-American mayor of Chicago: Harold Washington
* First African-American Miss America: Vanessa L. Williams
* First African-American WWE Tag Team Champions: Rocky Johnson and Tony Atlas
* First African-American to appear on MTV via music video: Michael Jackson

1984

* First African American to win a U.S. presidential primary/caucus: Jesse Jackson (Louisiana, the District of Columbia, South Carolina, Virginia and one of two separate Mississippi contests).
* First African American coach to lead his team to the NCAA Division I men's basketball championship: John Thompson
* First African American New York City Police Commissioner: Benjamin Ward

1985

* First African American to become a member of the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels precision flying team: Donnie Cochran. Cochran was also the first African American to command the team (1994).

1986

* First African-American Formula One racecar driver: Willy T. Ribbs
* First African-American musicians inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in the inaugural class: Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, and Little Richard

1987

* First African-American woman, and first woman, inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Aretha Franklin

1988

* First African-American woman elected to a U.S. judgeship, and first appointed to a state supreme court: Juanita Kidd Stout
* First African-American to win the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival: Forest Whitaker (Bird)
* First African American to win a medal at the Winter Olympics (a bronze in figure skating): Debi Thomas
* First African-American quarterback to start in the Super Bowl: Doug Williams
* First African-American NFL referee: Johnny Grier

1989

* First African-American mayor of New York City: David Dinkins
* First African-American Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: Colin Powell

1990

* First elected African-American governor: Douglas Wilder (Democrat; Virginia)
* First African American elected president of the Harvard Law Review: Barack Obama
* First African-American Miss USA: Carole Gist
* First African-American Playboy Playmate of the Year: Renee Tenison

1991

* First African-American nominated for a Best Director Academy Award. John Singleton for Boyz N The Hood
* First African-American woman mayor of a major U.S. city: Sharon Pratt Kelly, (Washington, D.C.)
* First African American to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 auto race: Willy T. Ribbs

1992

* First African-American World Heavyweight Champion of wrestling for a major promotion (World Championship Wrestling): Ron Simmons
* First African-American woman astronaut: Dr. Mae Jemison (Space Shuttle Endeavour)
* First African-American woman elected to U.S. Senate: Carol Moseley Braun (Democrat; Illinois)
* First African American to manage a Major League Baseball team to a World Series Championship: Cito Gaston (Toronto Blue Jays)

1993

* First African American woman appointed U.S. Secretary of Energy: Hazel R. O'Leary
* First African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature: Toni Morrison
* First African-American woman named Poet Laureate of the United States: Rita Dove, also the youngest person named to that position
* First African American appointed Surgeon General of the United States: Joycelyn Elders
* First African-American woman to win a national chess championship: Kimberly McClelland

1994

* First African-American woman director of a major-studio movie: Darnell Martin (Columbia Pictures' I Like It Like That)

1995

* First African-American inductee to the Radio Hall of Fame: Hal Jackson

1996

* First African-American U.S. Navy four-star admiral: J. Paul Reason

1997

* First African American to win a Grand Slam event in golf: Tiger Woods (The Masters)
* First African-American model to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition: Tyra Banks

1998

* First African American appointed U.S. Secretary of Labor: Alexis M. Herman
* First African-American WWE Champion: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
* First African-American woman to hold the rank of rear admiral in the U.S. Navy: Lillian Fishburne

1999

* First African American to be awarded the International Grandmaster title in chess: Maurice Ashley
* First African American CEO of a Fortune 500 company: Franklin Raines of Fannie Mae

2000

* First person and African American woman to win ASCAP "Rhythm & Soul Songwriter of the Year" award: Alicia Keys

2001

* First African-American Secretary of State: Colin Powell
* First African-American president of the Unitarian Universalist Association: Rev. William G. Sinkford
* First African-American president of an Ivy League university: Ruth J. Simmons at Brown University, also the first permanent female president of Brown.
* First African-American woman to win the ASCAP Pop Music Songwriter of the Year award: Beyoncé Knowles
* First African-American woman to be appointed National Security Advisor: Condoleezza Rice
* First African-American billionaire: Robert L. Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television

2002

* First African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress: Halle Berry (Monster's Ball, 2001)
* First African-American Winter Olympic gold medal winner: Vonetta Flowers (two-woman bobsleigh).

2004

* First African American to win Broadway theater's Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play: Phylicia Rashad

2005

* First African-American woman appointed Secretary of State: Condoleezza Rice

2006

* First African-American individual Winter Olympic gold medal winner: Shani Davis (men's 1,000 meter speed skating).
* First African-American interracial gay kiss on network television: Taye Diggs and Eric McCormack in Will & Grace.
* First African-American Extreme Championship Wrestling champion: Franklin Lashley, also known as Bobby Lashley
* First African American elected governor of Massachusetts: Deval Patrick
* First African American to command a United States Marine Corps division: Walter Gaskin
* First African American to reach the peak ofMount Everest: Sophia Danenberg

2007

* First African-American NLF head coach to reach the Super Bowl: Lovie Smith (Chicago Bears), Super Bowl XLI.
* First African-American NFL head coach to win the Super Bowl: Tony Dungy (Indianapolis Colts), Super Bowl XLI.
* First known African-American woman to reach the North Pole: Barbara Hillary

2008

* First African American to be nominated as a major-party US presidential candidate: Barack Obama, Democratic Party
* First African American to referee a Super Bowl game: Mike Carey (Super Bowl XLII)
* First African-American woman elected Speaker of a state House of Representatives: California Rep. Karen Bass
* First African-American governor of New York State: David Paterson (elected as lieutenant governor, succeeded on resignation of previous governor)
* First African American to own a movie and TV studio: Tyler Perry
* First African-American elected president of the United States of America: Barack Obama

This first black president-elect means more to me then almost every other personal accomplishment I've had. And I've had a few, first black president of my fraternity, winning countless awards and receiving citations I don't even remember til I find them laying around.

I wish the best to Barack Hussein Obama, II the 44th President of the United States, and hope that we as a people, as a nation and as a human race can Keep on Keepin' On.