Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch Changes...

They said it would never happen. Some people have spent their lives trying to stop it from happen. Others never dared to even dream that it might. But, yesterday afternoon, watched by millions of people worldwide, it happened. A black man was sworn in as President of the United States of America.

Whilst the world is still not a perfect place and there are still those who see white as the superior race (and, indeed, other ways around, too. Racism doesn't just work one way, let's remember that) yesterday was a huge step forward for the human race and one of the most historic moments that's ever come to pass. In years to come, as well as "where were you when JFK got shot?" people will be asking "where were you when Barak Obama became President?"

Considering events in 1955 when Rosa Parks sparked a bit of a hoo-haa by refusing to let a white passenger have her seat on a bus, Martin Luther King's struggles in the Civil Rights Movement and countless other things you could also mention, to now have a black man as the most powerful man in the world... Well, it was, at times, unthinkable.

But what does it mean to the wider world? Well, it sends out a great message of hope. A man who's been through so much, a man who has been, in the past, shunned for the colour of his skin is now in charge of the most powerful country in the world. A man who wants to change America, and the world, for the better. A man who wants to see an end to the occupation of Iraq, rather than continue to stay there and hunt for oil or carry out some revenge mission on behalf of his dad. A man who's ideals and policies can, indeed, turn the world around from the current climate of mistrust, crisis and terror.

But, as a man who's not too politicised (is that even a word?!), that's a discussion that should be expanded on elsewhere, at another time, by someone else. ;-)

Personally, I'm just glad to see that there is, for once, hope in the world. And it goes to show, nothing is impossible. I wonder if Rosa Parks believe this could happen that day she stayed in her seat?