We’re Getting There.

This election season has been rough, even for those of us who try to stay apolitical. In historical perspective, maybe it’s not all that bad; we’re not in the midst of a civil war, for example. But still, it feels like the most likely candidates will put us in a major lose-lose situation.

And yet, after watching this video of a 106-year-old dancing with President Obama, I can’t help but think it’s not all bad.

A hundred and six years old. She never thought she’d live to see a Black president, nor should she have expected it. Racial tensions didn’t exactly end with the Civil Rights movement.

And yet, here we are.

Here we are, with Hillary Clinton judged by the content of her character, not by her gender.

And here we are, with Ben Carson’s gentle spirit carrying him far through the election—not hindered by race.

And here we are, with Cruz and Rubio being judged by their policies, not by their Cuban heritage.

And here we are, with Bernie Sanders judged by his arguably compassionate (if socialist) policies, not by his Jewish lineage.

In fact, the candidate taken the least seriously is the rich old white dude…who is also being judged by the content of his character, not his race. (Although arguably he is not being judged harshly enough.)

I’m still not thrilled with most of the candidates. But at least we’re judging them by the quality of their proposals and the content of their characters, not their sex or the color of their skin.

So that’s the bright spot in this election year. In 106 years, we’ve come far. Over 106 years, we’re getting there.