Today is about “The Moment.”Unless you’ve been in a coma — in which case, you’re not reading this anyway — you know exactly how big today is.We witness history today.At 12:01 p.m. EST today, President-elect Barack Obama will officially become President Barack Obama, encapsillating the best wishes of generations of Americans. For some, today’s “moment” is two years in the making, marking an end to one of the most exciting and engaging campaigns in recent memory. For others, it transcends a lifetime of struggle and the mark of a dream fulfilled.Sixty-nine percent of black people consider Dr. King’s vision for race relations fulfilled, according to a CNN poll released on Martin Luther King Day. That number is more than double the amount who agreed last March.The number of white people sharing this sentiment also increased. Falling short of a majority, 46 percent of polled whites feel his dream has been fulfilled, up from 35 percent.Coupling these statistics with an ABC News/Washington Post poll from last week — citing 80 percent approval with Obama’s transition into the Oval Office — questions arise about the kind of change America expects along with the reality of the challenges we face.While none have seen its effects — after all, it starts today — the promise of his presidency clashes with the celebrity of his “coolness factor.”Ebony magazine listed Obama as one of the “25 Coolest Brothers of All Time,” joining Tupac Shakur, Muhammad Ali, Jay-Z and Marvin Gaye, among others.CafePress, a Web site dedicated to user-generated T-shirt designs, has experienced a flood of Obama-related T-shirt designs. Amy Maniatis, vice president of marketing for CafePress, said she has never seen this kind of output for T-shirt designs.”‘Obama the political candidate’ sales are over, but it’s been replaced with ‘Obama the pop culture icon,'” Maniatis said in an interview for CNN. “It’s almost like what you’ve seen with Che Guevara or Eva Peron, when a political leader has this coolness factor that goes well beyond their political beliefs. They represent something even bigger.”If you saw Wyclef Jean at Groovin’ on the Grounds last year, he addressed this sentiment in an a capella freestyle between songs. About the popular Che Guevara T-shirt, Jean quipped, “It’s just a T-shirt.”Obama is so popular, he inspired a whole new word describing the economy of him. Even Montel Williams appeared in infomercials hawking “Obamabilia,” selling the emblem of change imprinted on coins, collector plates and other commemorative currency.He is also no stranger to the occasional shout out in the rap industry.Consider rapper Young Jeezy’s so-called unofficial hip-hop anthem, “My President is Black.” Beginning the opening chorus, Jeezy proclaims, “My president is black, my Lambo’s blue, and I’ll be goddamned if my rims ain’t too.”A dream fulfilled, indeed.Today’s moment is a source of pride for many Americans jaded by the country’s original sin of slavery. But the dream to be fulfilled by today’s moment has less to do with the wishes of our founders coming full circle, and more to do with a higher sense of responsibility and accountability by all Americans.It’s up to all of us to ensure Obama not only holds the support of the American people but also the disagreement and dissent which will push him into greatness.When Lyndon Johnson gave his “We Shall Overcome” speech, he defined the problems of that time as not mere black or white problems, but American problems.”This great rich, restless country can offer opportunity and education and hope to all — all, black and white, North and South, sharecropper and city dweller. These are the enemies: poverty, ignorance, disease. They are our enemies, not our fellow man, not our neighbor. And these enemies too — poverty, disease and ignorance — we shall overcome.”This was the vision Obama provided to the nation in his 2004 speech to the Democratic National Convention.”There is not a red America or a blue America, there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and a Latino America and an Asian America, there is the United States of America.”Throughout the campaign, his opponents clamored about his “lack of experience.” Obama’s prerequisite experience lies in his vision, not his resumé.No one knows what it’s like to be president until they’re president.The experience necessary to arrive at the presidency requires informing the American people about a vision for a better country, one based on perfecting our union, never being satisfied with what we are in favor of what we can become.While today’s moment is to be savored and cherished, today is only the moment when our dreams are realized. It’s up to tomorrow to see what fruit this dream will bear.What’s next?—-Contact Eric Freeman Jr. at [email protected]