I never thought that I would see an African-American elected President of the United States in my lifetime. I just didn't think we had it in us but it appears that we have most assuredly come a long way.
I didn't think I would see it, or even anything this close, either. It isn't because I think the country is so racist that a rough plurality of voters wouldn't vote for an African-American, it's because winning a presidential election campaign is hard. Winning a presidential primary campaign is hard. Becoming a senator or governor is hard. Achieving enough in life that running for senator or governor is even an option is hard. And all of that is just a little bit harder if you aren't white. There are barriers, some big and some small, at every level. Given that, and given the number of people who aren't just simply white but are born on third base, it was hard to imagine that anyone could possibly manage to actually do it.