Change is coming

Barack Obama was born in 1961.

James Meredith, the first black student at the University of Mississippi, enrolled in 1962 with the help of 5,000 federal troops.

Martin Luther King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963. Equality was only a dream at that point, as the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act weren't passed until 1964 and 1965, respectively. The 24th Amendment, prohibiting poll taxes in federal elections, was ratified in 1964.

In 1967, when the Supreme Court struck down laws banning interracial marriage, such laws still existed in sixteen states.

Just over forty years later, the son of such a marriage is the Democratic Party's nominee and a strong favorite to become the next president of the United States.

Win or lose, it's a historic moment. Don't forget to vote.

(Vote early if you can. Turnout is likely to shatter all records, so be prepared for long lines.)