Can Obama inspire young Britons?

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By Andy McFarlane BBC News Eric Bacchus said Martin Luther King's 1960s' dream had been realised

Barack Obama's election as US president has been hailed as an historic moment, but what do the people of multi-ethnic Brixton in south London make of a black man entering the White House?

Billboards on Eric Bacchus's newsstand told a story that few would have believed possible when he arrived from Guyana in 1962.

"President Obama" screamed the headlines, grabbing the attention of those passing the Tube station in Brixton, where about two in every five people are from an ethnic minority.

An added buzz has been injected into this habitually bustling area, as people digest the news that a black man is to inhabit the White House.

"I can see a smile on the faces of many of those who come to buy the papers - people of all races," said Mr Bacchus.

This will give new hope to children from all backgrounds Services manager Marlon Salmon "Before he was assassinated, Martin Luther King said he had a dream and that dream has come true."

From the influx of West Indians into the UK in the 1940s, through the bitter race riots of the 1980s, Brixton has encapsulated black Britain.

And, while much has changed since the first Jamaican immigrants stepped off the Empire Windrush in 1948, Barack Obama's election as US president still surprised many.

"I'm overwhelmed," said Marlon Salmon, a 26-year-old services manager at the busy Brixton Recreation Centre.

"I never thought I would see it in my lifetime but he has showed what you can achieve with hard work and determination.

"As a child, I never even thought about achieving something like that. I just thought I would be a bus driver and wanted my own flat.

George Paine, Ina Daniel and John Bridgewater wish Mr Obama luck"This will give new hope to children from all backgrounds. The next thing is a black prime minister."

Downstairs, at the centre's indoor bowling greens, 69-year-old Ina Daniel is living proof of how the world has changed.

On arrival from Guyana in 1965, she never dreamed she would one day share the greens with white men.

"I've been bowling four years now and I love it," said the former midwife, of Norbury, south London.

She said: "The world has changed for the better. There's less discrimination now.

"But what a change Obama has brought about. I thought it would happen one day but not this soon."

Role model

Bowling partner George Paine, 82, from Balham, south London, agrees: "It's got to change the world because America is such a big country. Obama just needs the right people behind him."

Community football coach Steadman Scott, putting some of his young charges through their paces in the gym, is in no doubt of the election's significance.

Umit Tasdemir hopes Mr Obama will promote greater cultural unity

"It's the greatest thing that could happen to us," said the 52-year-old who arrived from Jamaica 40 years ago.

"There's no more colour or class barrier."

Mr Scott said that, while time had brought more opportunities for black people in Britain, "subtle barriers" still existed in this country."You don't see black people controlling banks here, a kid's mother or father might have the lowest-paid job in the bank," he said.

"At the moment, if young people want fancy cars they fall into gangs because they can't see another way.

"I try to teach young footballers they must dedicate themselves and sacrifice things and they see how hard work can help them better themselves. Obama shows them this."

In nearby Electric Avenue, stalls selling plantain bananas nestle alongside those laden with eastern spices or oriental vegetables.

Fishmonger Umit Tasdemir, 34, hopes that President Obama will encourage similar unity among the world's faiths.

I want to see him realise how much damage US policies have caused the rest of the world Charity worker CY Lim

"It should help America to deal with the Middle East and bring the wars to an end. That's what we are all hoping for," he said.

But Mr Tasdemir, a descendant of Turkish immigrants, believes Mr Obama might struggle to live up to his promise.

"We will have to judge how he performs after a year," he said.

Malaysian-born charity worker CY Lim, 30, shares those doubts.

"Obama has talked about bringing change but he also talks about transferring troops from Iraq to Afghanistan," she said.

"I want to see him take a different view and realise how much damage the US policies have caused the rest of the world."

Wait and see

Barry Bazora, a 57-year-old Jamaican, believes the West will now seem more approachable to the rest of the world.

"People can't talk about America as the great white Satan any more, and somehow the world seems more trustworthy.

"But he has promised a lot. To me, he's a bit like Tony Blair. What you see isn't necessarily what you're going to get."

Barry Bazora fears Mr Obama's presidency may not meet expectations

While the world must wait for the new president's foreign policy, Lamonte Johnson insists the effect of his election on young black people will be immediate.

Brought up in the projects of Chicago, Mr Johnson has spent four years running police- and council-funded art projects to steer young Britons away from crime.

He has seen the US election spark excitement among the youngsters at St Vincent's Community Centre in Brixton.

"It gives them more hope in the political process than in the past and will inspire kids across the UK," he said.

"When Tiger Woods shot to fame it got more black kids looking at golf who didn't feel like they were excluded from the sport any more.

"This might give some young people the idea that they can get involved in politics to change things. "

If attitudes in Brixton are anything to go by, it is clear Mr Obama's influence already extends beyond America.

In Britain, and across the world, people now wait to see how he uses that power.