February could indeed be a special Black History Month if a certain gentleman from Illinois manages to capture his party's nomination for president of the United States.

Illinois, it might be remembered, was the home of another gentleman who went on to become president and had a vital impact on the history of black Americans.

No, we are not drawing professional qualification comparisons between the seasoned lawyer and lawmaker Abraham Lincoln and the relatively politically inexperienced Barack Obama. And, of course, we are not making any endorsements in this contested 2008 election.

However, isn't it an interesting situation that nearly 150 years ago the nation was busy arguing about the merits of keeping black men, women and children in slavery, under lock and key in many cases, while today we are looking at the possibility of putting the first black man into the nation's highest office.

Yes, times have changed and have thankfully changed for the better regarding this aspect of inclusiveness.

Since the time of Lincoln, we have also eliminated overt racial segregation from the schoolhouses to the lunch counters and the water fountains. Instead of being forced to sit at the back of the bus, black Americans are helping to drive this nation in the areas of science, education, economics and politics.

There is still a long way to go in this election contest. Much will be decided Tuesday when what is in effect a national primary is held in more than 20 states across the nation.

The political fortunes of Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, along with Republicans Mitt Romney and John McCain, could well be decided by Tuesday evening.

However this election season ends, it will be known as the one where for the first time a black man seriously contended for the office of president.

While the campaigns of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton did draw media interest, neither candidate was able to mobilize enough national support for a sustainable campaign.

This will be an election season that will also be remembered for featuring a woman seriously contending for the Oval Office, building on such historic efforts as Elizabeth Dole's run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000 and Shirley Chisholm's campaign for the Democratic nomination in 1972.

On the Republican side, the 2008 presidential election season has seen a Mormon running for the nation's highest office against an experienced lawmaker and decorated Vietnam War veteran.

The days of the one-size- fits-all candidate appear to be gone. Today, a wide diversity of individuals can seriously compete for a variety of offices locally, statewide and nationally.

And, to paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., they will be elected not based on the color of their skin but for the content of their character.

While the 2008 election campaign also featured a Latino governor from New Mexico as a serious contender for the office, there is no telling what the future will bring. Within the next few years we may well see the first Asian American in serious contention for the Oval Office and maybe even a naturalized U.S. citizen from Austria if they ever decide to change the born-on-U.S.-soil qualifications.

In 150 years, the discussion of the first black, woman, Latino, Asian or other presidential candidate will probably be just quaint talk reflecting another time. Given the growing diversity of this nation, discussions such as that will be as irrelevant as the shackles that once kept a people in slavery.

We must certainly not forget the harsh lessons from our historical past, but we need to take an honest assessment of how far we have come, how far we have yet to go and have the optimism and willingness to work toward a brighter future for all in these United States of America.

— Frank Moraga is The Star's director of diversity and editor of Mi Estrellla, The Star's bilingual weekly newspaper. He can be reached at fmoraga@VenturaCountyStar.com.