Obama's election victory reminded me of my last visit to the US where I saw the excellent advertising campaign of the US United Negro College Fund and their slogan "A great mind is a terrible thing to waste". I visited various Wall Street houses and for the first time noticed the de facto apartheid which prevails in much of the finance industry - albeit an apartheid where there has been a serious effort made to effect change with the various attempts at fostering diversity. Most of the reception desks were manned by sharp, well-turned out young black men, who also constituted the vast majority of the delivery men coming in and out of the buildings, the people serving in the coffee shops and the janitorial staff doing the cleaning up. The only place they were underrepresented was on the trading floors themselves.


The election of Obama to the highest office in the land, his grace under pressure, his eloquence and intelligence is a welcome sight. Hopefully it will mark an important step in repairing what is still the most pressing social problem in America today. Although I do not agree with many of his policies, particularly his protectionist agenda, I am proud to have witnessed this momentous day.