TEMPLE — Has Martin Luther’s King’s dream been fulfilled? On Nov. 4, America made a judgment of character and not color. Can you believe it?

I had to pinch myself when the result was assured. I never expected to see this happen in my lifetime.

But Barack Obama’s win was more than a black triumph. It was a victory for a multihued political party, the Democrats, and humanity in its many colors.

One point overlooked is Obama’s biracial identity — equally black and white, in fact reared in a white family. He represents what is great about America, not because we finally elected a black president, but because we have recognized the greatness of our mixed heritage.

Obama consistently has separated himself from the racial horrors of the past. So doing, he has positioned himself as America’s future.

Other African-Americans have attained our highest echelons. Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby, each is an icon who transcends race.

Nonetheless, there is very good reason to relish the symbolism: a black family in the White House.

Pinch me again.

Roscoe Harrison is a member of the Board of Contributors, Central Texans who write columns regularly for the Tribune-Herald. He is director of community affairs for Scott & White Memorial Hospital and pastor of Eighth Street Baptist Church in Temple.