Take a good look at this picture.  See all those people surrounding Barack Obama?  Those aren't throngs of supporters.  That's Secret Service.  Hillary Clinton also has a security force.  But she's a former first lady.   No other primary candidate has this many assigned bodyguards. So why all the not-so-secret agents around Obama?

Is it because this man, who could become the first African American president, is more vulnerable to violence because of his race?

Frankly, it's a topic that's been discussed quietly among African Americans for months now.  Something on the back of black people's minds.  As Obama continues to pursue the top office,  some are wondering:  Will he be safe? 

My parents talk about it all the time.  They remember that spring of 1968, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy were assasinated within a  two month span.  Both were young men... visionaries with the talent to inspire the young and disenfranchised.  And both were cut down --- shot down by gunmen --- before realizing their full potential.

And now...  40 years later... there's a public figure who, like it or not,  evokes memories of that painful time in American history.  My mother always argues fear is the reason Colin Powell decided not to run for president:  That his wife was too afraid for his safety, and convinced him to shun further time in the spotlight. 

Well, only the Powells know for sure why he didn't pursue the White House.  But the Obamas, on the other hand, have said publicly that their commitment to change and public service supersedes any fear they may have.

Let me be clear:  I am not endorsing Obama or any other political candidate. But the fact is, Obama is one of the biggest news stories in the country right now, and many people are developing a huge emotional attachment to him.

And no matter who you support this election season, we should all be praying that this nation is spared another national trauma.