There is generational change, technological change and economic change.

But this week Canadians, and the world watched awestruck as an attitudinal change swept over America and Senator Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States.

“Change is not just an election,” said Bill Thompson, born in America, who organized the Democrats Abroad event in Hamilton, “it is also people coming forward taking responsibility, taking action.”

Commentators usually overburden themselves with the use of the word ‘historical’ when it comes to sudden and unexpected change. But in this instance, a black man, who 40 years ago might have been arrested and thrown in jail trying to get served dinner at a restaurant, or 30 years ago, may have been gunned down on the streets or end up in jail by an oppressive establishment, is now in the same White House that Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy have occupied. Yes, this is an historic event, on par with Nelson Mandela’s walk out of Robben Island prison and subsequent leadership of South Africa.

Obama’s election has become a beacon for all people in the world.

“For centuries we have been oppressed,” said Beatrice McLean, president of the Afro-Canada Caribbean Association in Hamilton. “We have been the lone guy on the totem pole. This means a lot to the black community in Canada, Africa, West Indies, England, everywhere.”

The cultural, and political implications will continue to reverberate throughout our society.

As Mr. Thompson stated, the past is not forgotten, but the future is brighter for a people that have been browbeaten.

“The stain of slavery, the stain of racism is beginning to come out a bit,” he said. “It’s not the end of anything, but it can be very constructive.”

President-elect Obama’s support was derived from a rainbow coalition of people, dominated by African-Americans, of course, but also from the growing Hispanic U. S. population, and strong support from whites -both male and female.

But as Lloyd Turner, program director for the ACCA, said, Mr. Obama’s greatest role could be the seed he has planted inside our children world wide.

They will see in Mr. Obama, said Mr. Turner, that, maybe, even they can grow up and be Prime Minister of Canada.

Of course the historical implications of Mr. Obama’s win and the visions of a union of diverse cultures wears thin as the stark reality of racial attitudes and cultural differences are laid wide open.

Racism still permeates across the United States in de-facto segregation, in racist language that was used during the election campaign against Mr. Obama, and by the economic plight that African-Americans live their day-to-day lives in such places as South Central Los Angeles, Detroit, Michigan, and New Orleans.

Canada as well still has a way to go when it comes to promoting diverse groups into levers of power whether in business, culture or politics. Consider the euphoria that Canadians could enjoy if they were about to vote in a party that was led by the first Aboriginal person, or Southeast Asian. It still remains a dream deferred for many in this country.

Hamilton also remains stuck advancing the diverse community’s goals. While efforts continue to be made through the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion to promote unity, the city’s diverse community remains closed off from the city’s power corridors in government, police and business.

Martin Luther King in a Memphis speech shortly before being gunned down, said if he could have been given the ability to see into the 21st century, he would be satisfied knowing that eventually things would improve.

President-elect Barack Obama has scaled that mountain top, and found that people change, but not without blood, sweat and tears. Hope remains, work is still needed.