On the election of President Barack Obama

By Scott Gray

After the longest and hardest-fought presidential campaign in American history, the votes are now in; and Barack Obama has just been elected the 44th president of the United States. The Urban League of Greater Madison congratulates President-elect Obama, Vice President-elect Joe Biden, and their families for turning what began as an improbable journey into a historic victory for their party and our country. We welcome the new vision they bring to Washington and pledge to work with them to tackle the nation's deepening domestic challenges, including the epidemic of home foreclosures, the crisis in public education, and the rising unemployment and poverty that have hit middle class and urban Americans especially hard in recent years.
This is a watershed moment that renews the nation's founding promise of freedom, equality, and opportunity for all. This election has shattered what was once considered an unbreakable glass ceiling that has kept so many generations of minorities and women from dreaming big dreams and reaching their full potential. Never again will any young boy or girl of color in America be shackled with the awful certainty of "not in my lifetime.
However, it's also true that the march toward equality and opportunity for all is far from complete. As the first-ever State of Black Madison report pointed out earlier this year, African Americans in the city of Madison and throughout Dane County face significant challenges today. In the 40 years since the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Madison and Dane County have prospered. African American residents, however, have not fully shared in this prosperity.
We sit on a precipice of change. The Urban League of Greater Madison stands ready on Day One to work with the new administration, especially in the effort to craft a comprehensive urban agenda that expands opportunity and unleashes the tremendous untapped potential in our cities.  But today, we simply say congratulations to President-elect Barack Obama — and thank you to the American people for this historic new beginning.
Scott Gray is president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater       Madison.