Putting it into context, when I grew up, I wanted to be Barack Obama.

People may wonder how that’s possible when Obama was not a premier political player in the early ’90s, when I was a second grader at Detroit’s Alonzo W. Bates Academy, spending my days memorizing as much information as I could about each of our nation’s presidents.

But the position Obama is in — the first African American man to have a legitimate shot at becoming leader of the free world — is the exact position I longed for as a kid.

You may not vote for Obama or support his policies, but to deny his positive influence on the community he came from is short-sighted. Many African American children, specifically males, lack role models of that stature.

No longer is that dream of president seemingly unattainable. Win or lose, the notion that African Americans can play on the highest level of politics gives hope to the future generations of all minorities.

What we are seeing is a change of the times, something we as a society can pat our backs about, despite the vast level of work left to do. Just 50 years ago, this reality would’ve been too progressive for America to compute.

The meaning behind Obama’s nomination transcends race. We are a better society for taking such diverse strides as a country.

We endured the disenfranchisement of African American voters more than a century ago, the scare tactics that led us away from the polls, the discrimination of voting rights that wasn’t rectified until just 43 years ago.

Now, in 2008, people of color presumably have their first representative in the general election.

Far be it from me to treat Obama like a mere figurehead. I believe in his political stances. I could never suggest people vote for a candidate just because of his race — something I’ve seen undermine the political efficiency of Detroit, my hometown.

In an era where some of the foremost voices in the African American community have a message falling upon deaf ears, a role model with such a potent message is necessary.

Let us hope that change becomes a reality and not just another chapter of rhetoric.

Jahshua Smith is the State News minority representative. Reach him at smithjah@msu.edu .