Editor’s Note: Vishakha N. Desai is president and CEO of Asia Society, a global educational organization. 

On the Sunday before Election Day, I talked to my brother, an Indian American physician living in Cincinnati, on the phone. He was in a hurry, he said, because the entire family – his wife, their daughter (a freshman at Barnard) and their 15-year-old twin boys – was headed to a Barack Obama rally. They wanted to be there early so that they would have a good shot at seeing the candidate. Living in Hamilton County in the suburbs of Cincinnati, they were deeply aware of the importance of Ohio for the Democratic candidate. A staunch Democrat, my brother was, for once, seeing that the tide was on the right side.

I asked him how his twin boys were feeling about Obama now. He had previously mentioned that both of them, while excited about Obama’s candidacy, were convinced that America would never elect a black candidate. I found this surprising. Born and brought up in an affluent suburb of Cincinnati, these Indian American kids always struck me as privileged suburban kids, not particularly aware of — or at least vocal about — matters of race. On the other hand, in casual conversations, you would hear some sentiments about being a minority in a predominantly white culture at school. Their comment on the perceived un-electability of Obama made clear that they had unconsciously accepted the reality of racial differences and the inevitability of the majority culture holding the power in the public arena. 

I was also surprised when I heard a very similar story from another Indian friend, married to a European American wife. He mentioned that in the early days of the primaries, he and his wife were discussing the candidacies of Hillary Clinton (his wife’s initial choice) and Barack Obama at their dinner table. Their high-school-age son, after feigning no interest in the conversation, looked up from his plate and said, “Why are you arguing over something that will never happen? There’s no way that America is ready for a black president!” Amazingly, neither my nephews, nor the young son of my friend remembers these conversations now. They were so excited about Obama’s win that all of them – in Cincinnati and in New York – stayed up late watching debates, canvassing for voters and waiting for results.

In a span of less than one year, Obama made believers out of them. Believers in the possibility that a person embodying cultural diversity can indeed become president of the United States. Believers in the American dream — that indeed it was possible to be part of this great nation even if you didn’t look like your other classmates.

In this sense, Barack Obama’s victory is not historic simply because he’s the first African American to become our president. It is historic because he has now given hope to every child of color and mixed race that she is not simply a minority in a majority culture, but one that is included in the grander project that is the USA.

I have to admit, I too was choked up on Election night and the next day. As I said to my husband, a 6’4” WASP, I was proud to be an American – to be able to witness the occasion when America finally acknowledged that it was time to celebrate our greatest strength: our diversity. It was time to celebrate the election of a truly global individual, one who could connect Americans with the rest of the world, not just as a “superior power,” but also with a sense of responsibility and partnership.