What about racism?

Well, it looks like he overcame all odds: Barack Obama is now our president elect, and will now and forever be known as the United States' first African America president.

But can we dare to say the race wars are finally over? "Is racism," as Stephen Colbert asked tonight, "dead?"

Even though we've elected our first African American president, it seems as if racism is far from over and for some, as many analysts have already said, voting for Obama probably wasn't so much a step toward progression, rather a mere effort to protect his or her pocketbook, or just a move away from the troubled Republican party.

There will be books upon books and studies upon studies to come, showing us how it was finally possible for a country who has a long and tired history of persecuting African Americans to elect one as its president. As a nation, we need to take this moment to reflect on where we are in terms of race relations, how far we've come and what we need to do because there is still much progress to be made in ensuring equal rights and opportunities for all Americans.

Tonight, though, we can all, no matter your party affiliation, celebrate Barack Obama's achievement. There was no Bradley effect (click to see TIME and CNN analysis on the Bradley effect), which has been the elephant in the room for the Obama camp in recent weeks, and no recount necessesary. Tonight, the will of the American people was clearly heard, and Barack Obama, after all that was pitted against him, is our president elect.