And I would imagine many other countries are having similar debates. For years Europe has droned on about racism in America and yes, there's obviously a problem. Right up until election day I listened to yet another person in Europe tell me how racist America is and that a black person would never be elected. Now that Obama has won, we will a new debate about race and opportunity in quite a few countries that previously preferred pointing at America instead of looking in their own back yard.
The head of the BBC newsroom has admitted his disappointment at the lack of black people participating in the corporation's coverage of Barack Obama's historic presidential victory.
Peter Horrocks, who watched the BBC's election night output from his home in south-west London, said he was "struck" by the paucity of black contributors to panel discussions and by the lack of black journalists on a night when political history was made.
"It just makes you think," he said. "I think if you look at some of the American broadcasters – and this is true of the BBC, ITV and Sky – we don't have as mixed [line-ups] both in on-air BBC people and commentators."
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