It seems like an eternity ago, when the majority of citizens in this country gave an outward sigh of “damn, here we go again” upon receiving the results of the past two presidential elections. But on Jan. 20, 2009 the weight of eight long years was finally lifted from the backs of us minorities here in the United States. And by “minorities” I mean the middle-class, poor, and on down the economic food chain. People of all colors, who over the summer were paying $4 a gallon for gas while living paycheck to paycheck.

I don’t pretend to be among the most politically charged of individuals. How can I be after moving to Florida nearly a decade ago and not even considering to register before that infamous 2000 election debacle? Though since then I’ve watched with a critical eye, albeit a lazy one, the workings of local, state and federal government. I had already formed an opinion about those insecure badge-carrying patrol people back at an early age. I believe the constant abuse of power by those in control have not only caused our societies lingering trust issues between them and us, but has also played its part in the stalemate that is race relations in this country.

So I am relieved in both the change in leadership and the fact that an oil tycoon is no longer pushing the buttons for his own benefits and turning a cheek on what we the people need. And admittedly, I’m most happy for the African-Americans and racial minorities of this country. As a white guy I’m well aware of the perceived notion that people with my skin color have more of an opportunity to succeed and attain more, say, financial success than others. Not to mention having better odds at landing that Top Job right from birth. The reality is that no matter the color of skin it takes being raised right in order to believe anything is truly possible, which we now know is as plausible as ever.

But what does being “raised right” even mean anyway? I guess growing up with a single parent too young to be one, in a community of uptight religious and conservative types, can breed some form of cynicism. As a rebel to those ideologies I wasted far too much time acting out as opposed to taking action. It’s better late than never to make that change, I suppose. After all, it’s not very hard to get registered to vote once you learn a little more about it. That’s what happened this past year. People helped each other create a landmark moment in history that not even the most optimistic minds could imagine possible.

Look through the crowd of the more than 1.4 million Americans who turned out in Washington D.C. for the inauguration of President Barack Obama and you’ll get a sense of the kinds of emotions being shared, all at the same time, by so many different types of people. That euphoria dated back to as early as November when the election votes were first counted. It felt just as empowering once it became official. What I also felt was relief. A togetherness of mankind. Even as I sat watching the inauguration alone in my living room, debating whether I’d take another stab at getting out of the unemployment line or put it off until tomorrow. Despite those circumstances, seeing the change in office in real time gave me a strange feeling of optimism.

It was refreshing to witness the joy and hope that such an event has brought to so many people, primarily in blacks. What’s even more promising though is to see that they were not the only people so grateful for such a day. Hip-hop videos with both blacks and whites celebrating a black president’s election? That’s progress. A white police officer shooting an unarmed black male as he lay face down on the concrete? That actually happened in Oakland, Cal. over New Year’s (link) and further stagnates the process. If ignorant people would only realize that other human beings with different shades of skin are just as bad off as they are then maybe we all could work on making a come-up together. We can only hope that an event such what took place this week has planted that seed somewhere. Anywhere. The battle of good and evil rages on though.

Whatever happens, I hope this feeling of hope not only lasts forever but even grows into something much more for us. Imagine what could prosper from continuing to bridge gaps in our country such as the one that was filled in on Tuesday afternoon. Hopefully the rest of the world may someday follow our lead. Not for the sake of supposedly being as good as Americans, but instead taking that formula and striving to be even better.