SOUNDING OFF:

About 125,000 people gathered at Grant Park in Chicago on Tuesday night. Hispanics and non Hispanics, black and white, gay and straight, a crowd of human beings — all of them united to recognize and honor the lawyer, the community organizer, the senator, our commander in chief-elect, Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States.

During his campaign he spoke to Americans about hope and change and his profound interest in the struggles of the American people. He’s the pride of Kenyans and Americans, the inspiration for all citizens of the United States who are the descendants of other cultures and nationalities.

Today Americans have seen the truth. Americans have liberated their minds from “mental slavery� and have overwhelmingly voted for the first African-American president. This week, Americans have achieved “the Dream.�

I cannot avoid thinking of President-elect Obama as the redemption for the unacceptable time in the history of America when Africans were brought to this land to be treated as slaves; a time when segregated African Americans were denied the same rights that whites had; a time when these human beings were attacked, beaten and killed because of the color of their skin.

Forty-five years after the memorable speech of one of the most peaceful civil rights leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we finally have come together as a nation to accept that we have elected our president “not because of the color of his skin but because of the content of his character.�

Today, as Rep. John Lewis expressed, “We are experiencing a nonviolent revolution of ideas and values.� I believe that we also are experiencing real Democracy. No more stolen votes or recounts. Obama not only met the electoral votes required for victory, but surpassed Sen. John McCain by almost 2-to-1. Obama has won the “equality� that all Americans deserve.

Obama had made history with this race by encouraging people from all over the United States to vote. He has inspired us to believe that anyone in America, regardless of race or ethnic group, anyone who has ethics and values, anyone with a honorable attitude, can become the president of the United States.

I feel honored to have witnessed such an important chapter in US history and in the history of the African-American heritage.

On Tuesday in my home there were tears, cheers, joy, achievement — my 17-month-old Mexican-American son lifting his arms on the air, running up and down, exclaiming, “Obama, Obama.�

KARLA PANIAGUA, who lives in Costa Mesa and is now an American citizen from Mexico, voted for the first time in a presidential election.