Obama Supporters: We Did It!

All the reasons why he is to be considered a black man have to be recognized: the historically evil and misguided one-drop rule or even the mostly Jim Crow era activity of "passing" where a black person who was light-skinned enough to "pass" for white would do so in social and business circles out of fear of being persecuted and denied basic rights and opportunities.

There had been no doubt in society as recently as 50 years ago that a black person was to struggle while a white person was to thrive.

In those days, it was a brave and honorable thing to declare your actual heritage, your black blood and all, especially when you had an easy way out.

Thus, I've already discussed why this country deems him black, even though one has to acknowledge that he is just as proud to have his mother's white blood flowing through his veins as well. Obama bucks past injustices that way.

He even gave a sweet, deferential nod to his grandmother at the start of his magnanimous speech last night where he said something like "I owe everything to what she poured into me. This night is for her." It was a touching moment, one that echoed the moment in a previous interview when he nearly choked up crying while talking about how proud his mother, who is no longer with us, would be of how far her son has come.

But still within the racial paradigm of this country - for all intents and purposes - Obama is a black man. And last night he accomplished something that would not have even been possible 50 years ago... 25 years ago... hell even 10 years ago.

And he did it because of us.