More than a century ago, the preeminent black leader of his time
made a prophecy that has come to pass. When blacks had little
hope, Booker T. Washington stood alone in predicting that one
day a black man would be president of the United States. Almost
all Americans at the time would have considered this an absurd
impossibility. Yet history has proved Washington right. In many
ways, Barack Obama would find a kindred soul in the president of
Tuskegee, the largest black college of its time. Like Obama,
Washington came from mixed parentage and grew up in modest
circumstances. Washington had a white father (who he never knew)
while Obama’s black father more or less abandoned him. Both were
raised almost entirely by women who had a tremendous influence
on their work ethic and life goals. Each overcame these early
disadvantages by obtaining an education through grit,
determination, and some measure of luck. From an early age, both
were comfortable in the presence of powerful whites. As he grew
to manhood, Washingto