History Made.

November the Fourth is a day for the history books. It will become the subject of History Channel documentaries, countless new books, and classroom discussion. At approximately 11:00pm EST, the United States did something it had never done before: elect an African-American to the office of the Presidency.

Now President-Elect Barack Obama will inherit a trainwreck of foreign policy issues and an economic meltdown. But as a student of history, I am first concerned with the historical significance of this decision. Only fifty-four years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional in the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas decision. A half-century later, we have an African-American president. Our nation has come a long way. Of course, there is still a difficult road ahead. I personally know those who did not vote for him because he is black, and I also know those who voted for him because he is black. The fact that race still pervades our society indicates that we are not prepared to embrace others as equals, no matter the color of their skin or the country where they were born.

However, I am proud of the positive steps we have taken, and of witnessing history. That, in and of itself, is incredible.

[Well, I am a bit late on this entry, considering that my internet connection decided that it would not allow me on ProgressiveU, and only ProgressiveU. Damn thing. And it's so short considering I have yet to build my mousetrap-powered car for physics. Oops!]