For John Kwarm, Jan. 20, 2009, was a significant day. Seeing an African-American occupy the most powerful position in the United States speaks volumes about how far this country has come, says Kwarm, a recent BYU graduate from Virginia.

"(President) Obama's inauguration was a very exciting event," Kwarm said. "In a generation we went from tolerating and promoting Jim Crow laws to looking beyond a man's skin color, making him our president.

Marcus McCoy, a recent BYU graduate from Louisiana, says that Barack Obama's presidency represents a positive step forward in race relations.

"I am very pleased that he is president because he represents change," he said.

Kwarm, McCoy and other African-Americans who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are sharing in the nationwide optimism about race relations in the United States. And while living in Utah and being a minority in the LDS Church bring challenges, African-Americans also recognize the progress that has been made.

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