Over the past few days, as the Barack Obama phenomenon has gathered momentum and the news of the historic victory of his Democratic win in Iowa has spread through the nation, many Americans have felt proud to be an American.

This is a feeling we have not had in a long, long time, since well before the Supreme Court bypassed the votes of the American people and selected George W Bush to be the resident in the White House in 2000. My own personal shame and frustration came from the havoc Bush’s selection and subsequent policies caused at home and abroad, especially in the Muslim world.

Yet, on Thursday, when the sixth whitest state in the country, in record levels of participation, elected a black man with a positive message, a ray of light finally broke through the dark clouds. Finally!