Barack Obama's victory represents a seismic and historic shift for race relations in America. Whether you voted for McCain or Obama, Americans should be proud of how far we have come. We are the first Western nation to elect a minority to the highest governmental position. America is not perfect and there are still lingering race-related problems that must be addressed creatively. However, as a nation, America has finally been able to judge a candidate on the content of his character and the policies he put forth - not the color of his skin.
For Queens College, Obama's historic election has special meaning. During the Freedom Summer of 1964, Andrew Goodman, a student at QC at the time, traveled to Philadelphia, Miss., to register black voters as part of a campaign by the Congress of Racial Equality.
On June 21, 1964, Goodman was brutally murdered by the Ku Klux Klan on a remote rural road along with fellow civil rights volunteers James Chaney and Michael Schwerner.
Barack Obama's victory serves as a reminder that the valiant and moral efforts of Goodman and his friends were not in vain. The ideas and visceral bigotry of those Ku Klux Klan members have perished, relegated to the dust heap of history. Goodman's moral ideals shine forth, eternally enshrining him as an ethical fighter who will not be forgotten.
The clock tower on campus is dedicated to the memory of Goodman, Cheney and Schwerner. Paul Simon, a classmate of Goodman's, dedicated the song "He Was My Brother" in his honor.
Goodman's idealism and Obama's victory should be an inspiration for us all. Anything is possible in America if we work hard enough and believe in the ideals of justice and morality. The U.S. does not change quickly and many years were spent fighting for civil rights. America can - and does - change and the country has gradually become more moral over the years.
We must not cease in our pursuit of moral clarity and justice for all. As students, each of us faces the critical decision of what to do with our lives. We can opt to pursue careers focused on ourselves or we can choose less-traditional, public service careers. There is nothing our country cannot accomplish if we dedicate ourselves to the collective good. Often, students become disillusioned with the real world, believing that the philosophy and moral vision articulated by the great thinkers of history is a myth. Obama's victory has demonstrated that if we work hard enough for an ideal, anything is possible.
Bobby Kennedy famously said in South Africa that each of us has the potential to send forth "a tiny ripple of hope," which, collectively, can produce a wave of change. Our ability to change our country for the better in the next 50 years will hinge upon our collective hope and idealism and the extent to which we internalize the ideal that anything is possible in America.
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