Williamsburg, Virginia — Tears of joy streamed down my face Tuesday, November 4, 2008, when the television networks proclaimed Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) the next president of the United States. Dazed after a long day of precinct visits with congressional candidate Bill Day, I stared at the screen and knew that the 18-hour days and the stressful phone calls had all been worth it. The work of the campaigners here in Virginia had finally paid off, and we were finally able to bask in the glory of knowing that we contributed to the Obama revolution.

Two weeks earlier, I watched Obama address a full house at the Richmond Coliseum, less than two blocks from where he launched his campaign in Virginia nearly two years ago with the endorsement of Gov. Tim Kaine. “Change We Need” splashed across LEDs, theatre lights dangled from the ceiling, and approximately fifteen thousand Virginians crowded into the bleacher seats to hear the Democratic presidential nominee talk about the future.

Between the risers and tables reserved for the traveling and local press, media coverage took center stage, occupying more than half of the floor space in the vaulted auditorium. Like a basketball game or a circus, loud music blared and vendors sold everything from t-shirts to cotton candy. Spectators chanted and did the wave, always with one eye on the podium. Staffers covered their ears and yelled into cell phones as they waited for the man Sen. John McCain called “That One” to arrive.

Nearly two years ago, on Feb. 17, 2007, Obama addressed Jefferson-Jackson Dinner attendees at the Richmond Convention Center. In that speech, which followed Kaine’s endorsement from the Capitol steps, the Illinois Democrat stressed his belief that the nation needed a “politics that brings us together rather than a politics that breaks us apart.” He concluded that it was time for the American people to “pay attention.”

Two years later, the nation is definitely paying attention. Obama’s televised victory speech, which followed a gracious and principled concession speech by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), summed up the dreams of a nation eager for change. On a personal level, Obama’s victory speech struck home when he recognized the “young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy—who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.”

For millions of young people, the words “President Barack Obama” conjure up the dreams of a generation longing for change, longing for a voice in the democratic process, and longing for a leader who will speak truth to power. Our generation—perhaps best described as “Generation Change”—has proven that we are capable of breaking down the racial barriers that have kept so many from living out their dreams. That is what the 2008 election was all about.

President Barack Obama will face many pressures when he enters the White House, from a dumb war in Iraq to a struggling war in Afghanistan to an economy in the midst of recession to an environment wrecked by climate change to a Washington accustomed to pork-barrel spending and mud slinging.It will be up to us to remain involved and invested in politics in order to keep Washington accountable and to support Obama in his quest to change the world. We have won the first battle in the war for change. But as Obama said Tuesday night, “the road ahead will be long.” The Obama revolution is just beginning. Let’s keep up the fight!

Alan Kennedy-Shaffer served as a regional field director for Barack Obama and the Democratic Party in Virginia, and, more recently, as political director for congressional candidate Bill Day.

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