The Most Important Moment of 2008

There is no one who will dispute that 2008 was the year of Barack Obama. In what was probably the most exciting election in U.S. history, we emerged with our first Black President. And while many would argue that his actual election on November 4th was the most important moment of 2008, I would argue that his speech on race was the single most important moment of the election.

With his poll numbers dropping and his back against the wall due to the Jeremiah Wright issue Obama delivered a speech that put the controversy to bed while simultaneously forcing America deal with its racism. The Jeremiah Wright controversy turned out to be a blessing because it allowed him to publicly dissect the one issue that would have been the road block to his victory. It made his relationship with the Black community stronger through empathy and made those White swing voters who were afraid of pulling the lever for a Black man realize that his candidacy transcended race.

I think that without this speech November 4th would have never been possible.