President Obama's victory was historic, but his path was paved by many

The backslapping, self-congratulatory emoting over President Barack Obama — Yes we did! — misses a key point: We've been doing it all along. Of course Obama is the first African-American U.S. president, but he stands atop a lengthy history of black civic and political involvement without which his ascent would not have been possible.

I recognize the historic nature of this moment. In fact, I'm still over the moon about it, but in the midst of my jubilation a chastising inner voice mutters: Of course we can and did; we've been headed in this direction for quite sometime now!

Exhibit A means telling a story about my mother and hoping one of the first outraged letters to the editor isn't from her. In Washington, D.C., last week to write about the inauguration, I went to my mother's house and uncovered in a back room a dozen or so plaques and awards coated in inch-thick dust.

These days, my mother is retired and largely reclusive. Looking at these keepsakes takes her back to more energetic days. For me, poised to write about one of the most historic inaugurations in American history, I ran my fingers over the letterings of the awards and found testament that while Obama has traveled the farthest, the road to American democracy at its most inclusive is as crowded as a freeway at rush hour.

In my mother's stash, I found a mahogany wood plaque signed by former New York Congressman Jack Kemp when he served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development. My mother, according to Kemp, was one of the first President Bush's Thousand Points of Light. My personal favorite was a small walnut-colored plaque from North Forestville Elementary School thanking my mother for serving as PTA president. The engraved date, 1972, told the rest of the story. The year the school was integrated, my mother enrolled me and then ran for PTA president — and won.

Naturally, a history of knocking down doors would eventually lead us to the White House door.

I suspect here in the Northwest, many of us knew Obama could win long before the rest of the country. We're used to capable, smart leadership in a multitude of ethnicities, including black. King County Executive Ron Sims, a third-term incumbent we're so used to that few still marvel that he was our first black county executive. Add to that Seattle's first black mayor, Norm Rice, and Gary Locke, the state's first Asian-American governor. Yes we can, because yes we already have.

Next up: repeating these feats again and again until they no longer merit astonishment.

A book "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama" broadens my argument. PBS moderator Gwen Ifill profiles a new generation of black leaders, from Colin Powell to lesser-known pols including Newark Mayor Corey Booker, Alabama Congressman Artur Davis, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris. These leaders are post-boomers blessed with the rewards of the civil-rights movement and none of the physical and emotional scars from that tumultuous period in our history.

Ifill's book doesn't spend much time dissecting Obama. There is a single chapter noting his historic win and the political climate that fostered his victory. That is as it should be. I grabbed the book because I wanted to understand this election and why three generations, my parents, my own and my son's will view this moment through such different lenses.

Ifill's book reinforces what I hope Americans take away from Obamas presidency: He is just another smart, hardworking person, who happens to be African American and is willing to be of service. He seems so atypical, but he is not. As one reviewer of Ifill's book pointed out, if we peer into the deep bench behind Obama, crowded elbow to elbow with governors, mayors, county executives, state lawmakers, school board members and yes, PTA presidents, we'll see he is typical, and America is all the richer for it.

Days before last week's historic inauguration, Congressman Adam Smith, a Democrat who grew up around Tacoma, and I talked about an Obama presidency's impact on race relations.

Smith was one of Obama's earliest public supporters. His voice carried a deep respect for Obama but also a nonplused tone about race that I can only pray becomes more popular.

He came to this first because of the man, his ideas and his approach to politics, Smith said. When Obama decided to run for president, Smith didn't wonder whether a black man could win or even whether he could vote for a black man. If that's what you want and you have the qualities, then that's what you should aspire to, he said.

Just as Gwen Ifill's book shows how a new generation of black leaders promises to change our politics and our nation, I hope views such as Congressman Smith's help change the way we see and take measure of each other. It would be a moment that would, once again, carry me over the moon.

Lynne K. Varner's column appears regularly on editorial pages of The Times. Her e-mail address is lvarner@seattletimes.com; for a podcast Q&A with the author, go to www.seattletimes.com/edcetera