Obama's historic breakthrough

On Aug. 4, 1961, the day Barack Obama was born, racial segregation still imposed deep and unjust divisions across a wide range of American life, perpetuating long-term damages on both sides of the color line. Today, Sen. Obama's status as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee delivers indisputable proof of remarkable advances in race relations in this country during his still relatively young life.

While the most dramatic, Sen. Obama's rise wasn't the only historic breakthrough of this year's contest for his party's nomination. Just as he emerged as the first black person with a serious chance to win the presidency, Sen. Hillary Clinton emerged as the first woman. Their unprecedented achievements in race and gender have transformed this nation's political life.

There already was reason to believe that such liberating shifts won't be confined to one party. President Bush has had two secretaries of state, a black man and a black woman. Both of them, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, have been repeatedly courted to no avail - yet - as potential members of Republican presidential tickets.

While Sen. Obama now seems certain to become the first black major-party nominee for the nation's highest office, it's important to note that enlightened racial attitudes have been reflected in steady advances since 1961 in most aspects of political life, from municipal councils to state legislatures. South Carolina is no exception. Indeed, our state's first black congressman since Reconstruction, the 6th District's James Clyburn, is now majority whip of the House of Representatives.

But this year's Democratic primary process has been the first to test the reaction of the nation as a whole to the genuine possibility of a black president. Consider again the vast contrast between 1961 and 2008: A black man born in an era when large numbers of black Americans were denied basic voting rights is now a major party's White House contender.

Thanks to Sen. Obama's nomination victory, the tired old myth that few white Americans would ever back a black person for president is running on fumes.