MAILBAG:

As Sen. Barack Obama approached the podium to accept his candidacy for president of the United States, my eyes filled with tears of amusement. Here I am, sitting on the couch as a witness of a moment in history. A moment that, after a dream was killed 45 years ago, is now real.

Obama is running an amazing campaign to become the first president of color in America’s discriminatory history. Forty-five years ago, some Americans who believed the color of the skin was more important than the soul of a human being killed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was fatally wounded, but his ideals were alive in many of us who believe all men and women are created equal, regardless of skin color or race.

I have experienced racism and prejudice.

I know by experience there are many people who still believe color is what matters when it comes to accepting, embracing and recognizing human value.

I have heard people talking about the little experience Obama has, but how many of us accepted our first job and had experience? I believe we all learned and mastered our professions by working in our fields.

So will Obama. He has dared to take a challenge, intending to win an election in a country that historically has judged people by the color of their skin and not by the “content of their character.”

Obama has also listened to workers from different professions, and it seems he has been impacted by the pain these hard-working Americans endure.

Obama deserves the same respect and opportunities that some Americans have granted to presidents like George W. Bush, who, for two terms, has destroyed some American dreams.

America owes African Americans this president. It owes those people who were brought to this land without consent, to be used as slaves. It owes all the different cultures that have built this strong nation.

During the great contributions made to this nation, color was not a consideration when it came to using their skills and talents to raise a nation to the level it is now.

I saw two colors blending as they shook hands — Obama and Sen. Joe Biden. Young and old, black and white, but overall, two human beings.

Tonight we need to unite and keep a dream alive; a dream that goes beyond what money can buy; a dream of freedom of our minds and ignorance; a dream that will finally allow us to embrace and accept each other as we are.

Since I became a citizen, this is the first time I believe I belong to this part of America, because I have always lived and considered myself from America.

Consider voting for Obama.

KARLA PANIAGUA