A change is gonna come! Maybe it has arrived.

The diversity of Barack Obama is a “Change I Can Believe In.” Attending Obama’s first rally after he won the Democratic nomination for the presidency, I witness first hand the diversity of his message.

Black and white folks, Asians, Hispanics and people of other ethnicities complemented the spectrum of ages which stretched from babies to baby boomers at the Unity Rally held at the Nissan Pavilion last week. The landscape of the evening represented the utopia that America should reflect if it is to truly be patriotic and uphold “We the People.”

Enamored by the beauty of the unity of Obama’s “Unity Rally,” I saw an oasis of people – all races, creeds, and colors, economic and educational classes, who understood that beyond their apparent differences they are more alike than different. But among the diversity of color, age and nationalities that stood out, the multiplicity of black men was even more pronounced for me.

Older gray haired men mixed magnificently with younger brothers sporting bald heads and diamond earrings. Dreads, cornrows, do-rags and Starter fitted caps flipped to the side or back represented the diverse group of black men who traveled to Bristow, Virginia to hear Obama’s message. Black men who looked like successful businessmen as well as brothers, if spotted anywhere else may have thought to be thugs, cheered as one as Obama delivered his message which spoke to Americans, not black, white, wealthy or poor, but Americans.

Despite the variance within the ethnicity of black men their collective applause was for an inclusive message.

The joy of seeing such an assortment of black men standing in unity is birth out of the pain of persistent problems I see faced by black men who too often stand divided. Among the 16,400 murders committed in America in 2005, 8,000 were black men – most murders occurred at the hand of another black man. Maybe the high unemployment rate among black men fueled the heat of some of those murders. And it’s possible that the towering dropout rate – 70 percent nationwide – among African American males was an added accelerant.

If America is to become a better America black boys must at least graduate from high school and engage in activities that detour them from the road to prison. And black men must remain on the free side of those prison walls, employed and building walls of success amongst these boys (African American males ages 15-34 represents almost 70 percent of the prison population).

The results of seeing a black man on the television everyday fighting for the highest office in the land plays a huge role in providing the images needed by black men to stem the tide of their atrocities. Too many African American males have foreclosed on their hope, but witnessing Obama’s historical run for the office of president refinances the spirit of many of these men. Observing how Obama manages his distracters with the grace and dignity that he’s shown are phenomenal examples that black men can do nothing but learn from.

Before Obama, the images of African American men on the television consisted in large, of hip-hop artist, professional athletes and alleged criminals, and in too many instances it is difficult distinguishing the entertainers and athletes from the criminals. But now in Obama there is a black man seen daily on mainstream television that provides an image and a hope that America can believe in; but beyond what other ethnicities believe in, black men have renewed hope and believe through Obama’s success that there is some acreage for them in America. This I believe will fuel a new birth among a nation of black men. Subsequently, the death of hopelessness (high unemployment, dropout and prison rate) will be buried and a resurrection of hopeful black men will surface to become the difference in their neighborhoods.

Obama’s presence is providing hope to a diverse American, but especially to brothers from the hood to those living in upscale neighborhoods. Shirts adorning Jay-Z and LeBron James’ faces are being replaced by Obama’s. Youth not yet old enough to vote, are sporting Obama memorabilia because he is giving them the “audacity to hope.” Many of these youthful observers have now become interested in the political process replacing the apathy that resided within them before Obama with a newly discovered awareness.

Obama, a modern day Moses, offers hope and change, and that’s a “change [I] believe in.” With Obama as the next commander in chief I know “a change is gonna come; oh, yes it will.”

Note: Several publications that usually accept my opinion pieces chose to pass on this piece - I wonder why?