25 years of black political achievement.

At the time, the black political gains of the 1970s seemed nothing short of miraculous. African-Americans across the country celebrated in 1973 when Coleman Young won the mayor's office in Detroit, Maynard Jackson in Atlanta, and Tom Bradley in Los Angeles.

Those gains multiplied during the one-term presidency of Jimmy Carter, after he appointed blacks to key positions within his Cabinet. These appointments included: Andrew Young as United Nations ambassador; Patricia Roberts Harris as HUD secretary, and later as secretary of Health, Education and Welfare; and J. Bruce Llewellyn as head of the Overseas Private Investment Corp.

During the '80s, blacks became even more involved in the political mainstream. Jesse Jackson ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in '84 and '88, but those runs helped Ronald H. Brown--who had served as Jackson's campaign manager--to be elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Rep. William H. Gray III (D-Pa.) became one of the most powerful members of Congress, serving as chairman of the House Budget Committee and later as House majority whip, before resigning to become president of the United Negro College Fund.

But even with the '70s and the '80s as a backdrop, no one could have expected the gains that occurred during the early years of the next decade. An African-American, L. Douglas Wilder, was elected governor of Virginia in 1990. Two years later, Carol Moseley Braun became the first black woman to serve in the Senate when Illinois voters sent her to Washington.

Meanwhile, the Congressional Black Caucus became a major wheeler dealer in the House. They played a major role in the U.S.'s policy toward Haiti and in the formulation of an anti-crime bill. Blacks even began winning mayoral and congressional seats in places that aren't predominately black.

In 1990, Gary Franks became the only black Republican in Congress, when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut. Last year, J.C. Watts Jr. from Oklahoma became the second black Republican in Congress. Like Franks, Watts represents a district that is not predominately black, demonstrating that whites will vote for black candidates when they share the same political views.

Today, there is much speculation that four-star Gen. Colin Powell, who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is being courted by both the Republicans and Democrats to join their ticket as either a vice presidential hopeful or a presidential candidate. It may still be hard for African-Americans to envision a black in the White House--based on this country's past--but the political gains of the past 25 years prove that anything is possible.