In a sense I feel it has. Certainly not in an economic sense, but the dream of racial equality begun in earnest of the 60s generation is reality today in people's sense of perception. There are still a small minority of bigots, but for the vast majority of the nation the mentality has changed. It feels like a shift in consciousness, as Oprah said, a leveling of the playing field. Electing an African American to become the most powerful person on the planet has created a paradigm change, not just the way whites and blacks look at each other, but in the way America looks at itself.

The change in paradigms for the black community is especially profound. How many millions of african american school children have now been inspired to reach as high as they can and make the most out of their lives? How many millions of adult african americans who had so long thought "never in my lifetime" are now shouting "God Bless America"?

There was a story on the radio about a reporter interviewing an African American gang member, who was celebrating Obama’s victory, laughing and speaking in thick ebonics. The reporter asked him what he thought Obama would do for him now. The gang member stopped, and turned to the reporter and said, “He’s going to tell us it’s time to pull our pants up.”