NO-ONE watching the inauguration ceremony for President Obama could be unimpressed by the enthusiastic crowd.
More than three million people gathered in freezing conditions to witness their newly elected President take office. No-one forced them to turn out; they came of their own free will.
Mr Obama wasn’t imposed on the electorate or chosen by politicians, every Democrat in the land had a say in his selection and every citizen the right to vote for him as their President.
Mr Obama’s triumph was not due to a privileged background, family dynasty or wealth, far from it.
Barack Obama is a first generation American, the son of a Kenyan father who left him and his American mother to return to Africa.
Neither was it the result of positive action or ethnic window dressing. Mr Obama’s success came from hard work, commitment and the conviction by millions of ordinary Americans that he was the right man for the job and will do more for the cause of global democracy than any military intervention.
It’s certainly going to make oppressed people around the world question what opportunities exist for the disadvantaged in their own country, and if America really is the great Satan portrayed by their leaders.
It will be impossible for President Obama to fulfil the dreams of everyone, even God struggles with that, but he has brought us hope in a time of great uncertainty, and for that alone we should be truly grateful.
One of my enduring images of this historic event is of an Afro-American mother proclaiming she no longer felt the need to convince her children that hard work and achievement was the route to success.
“I’ll just point to a photo of our President,” she said. “Ain’t no higher office in the land.”
The views on this page are Vic Barlow's and not necessarily those of the Express
