Yes you did

"Oh, my God," she says breathlessly, eyes wide in disbelief.

"My president is black," she says.

She pinches her skin tightly, jaw agape.

"His skin is the same colour as mine."

I smile and lean back like a fly on the wall.

Outside in the parking lot the HBCU students dance, cheer, sing, scream, rejoice. They make me forget the anxiety of writing feeds on deadline from the quiet of my car.

Back in the newsroom we are frenzied. Obama's speech begins. And everything stops.

Photo courtesy Justin Yurkanin