On the Cusp of History

Barack Hussein Obama is the Democratic nominee for President of the United States of America.

Obama's nomination is a victory for all of those groups- that make up a majority of the United States- who could never dream of leading their nation simply because of the accident of birth. This is for blacks, women, Jews, Muslims, gays, Amerindians, and Hindus. This is for people whose parents immigrated to the United States in search of a better life. This is for Africans, Asians, and Latinos. He belongs to all of us. His cause is our own. His fate forever linked to our aspirations.

Barack Obama's nomination is a victory for all Americans. It shows that enough of us have moved past the violent bigotry of history and have pushed aside our instincts for division and instead tapped into the true American creed, that we are all created equal. But Obama's triumph represents far more than a signal to the world that we are a nation devoted to healing and progress. It grants an added ambition in minds of little black boys and girls all across this land. All Americans now realize that though we may never realize the American Dream, we are allowed to close our eyes and hope.

Barack Obama is more than a mere symbol, however. There is a reason why he is the first person who is not a white Christian man to win a major party nomination for the highest office in the land. He has a unique ability to trivialize our differences and uncover the common ground with which we walk together.

But before we go too far, we must remember that Obama is one step away from fulfilling America's promise. If he fails, what then do we make of our country?