first black president, our nation is in a fragile state. we are not alone. as npr reported last week, the global economic crisis also is fueling politicians in the european countries. there are signs of great hope. our latest elections saw the shattering of the glass ceilings, whether defined by race or gender. millions of americans crossed the lines at the ballot box. for the first time in history, polls showed that of both black and white people believe that race relations are generally good in our country. that is a major change. before that and before the election of president obama, about 75 sermon of anglo-whites in this country said racial relations worker. about 25% of blacks thought they were good. that is a great change and a hopeful sign. americans of all stripes are very optimistic about president obama and what can mean to this country. there are going to be more acts of violence that we will have to put up with. i am convinced that we are not going to go back to