WATERLOO - The screams could be heard outside Waterloo's Talk Shop Cafe Tuesday night when news networks called the election for Democrat Barack Obama shortly after 10 p.m.

Inside, about 80 Cedar Valley African Americans active in the candidate's campaign jumped up and down and exchanged hugs. Several supporters broke down in tears, while others started an impromptu chant heralding the nation's first black president.

"We made history," the crowd cried, as party-goers broke out cameras and video recorders to capture the moment. "We made history."

"It's a miracle," said Eureka Graves. "This is something that I never thought I'd see."

The Waterloo woman had excused herself from the festivities to call friends and family, and to catch her breath in the cool evening air. Although the 48-year-old special education para-educator supported Obama for his policies, such as tax breaks for the middle class and expanded health care coverage, she said her tears of joy Tuesday represented a victory on a scale larger than just another election victory.

Obama's victory, said Graves, will prove to her 11-year-old son, Nate, that anything is possible.

"This will show him that whatever he wants in life, he can do it," she said of her child. "Obama didn't let nothing stop him, and that's the message I want my son to take out of this."

Waterloo's African-American community was especially active in this year's presidential election, said Abraham Funchess, a pastor with Jubilee Church and head of the Iowa Comission on the Status of African-Americans. Black residents across the city turned out for campaign rallies in record numbers, and volunteered their time to knock on doors and make phone calls in support of the president-elect.

The Cedar Valley's black community was especially drawn to his message of economic relief for low- and middle-income individuals and families.

"Obama kind of embodies the melting pot idea of America and a lot of people can relate to him because of that," said Funchess. "…This provides a psychological boost to all people of color that the world is changing."

Having a black man become the nation's most powerful leader gives hope to young people of color, said Funchess, using a phrase splashed across Obama campaign posters, T-shirts and bumper stickers.

Jordan Stigler, an 18-year-old black man from Waterloo, agreed.

"I feel like by voting for him, I had a chance to make a difference," said the teen, who watched the results trickle in across town at the Waterloo Center for the Arts.

Back at the Talk Shop Cafe, Graves took a deep breath and reentered the Obama victory party.

Inside she watched as her child as he helped lead the chant of hour: "We made history."

Contact Mary Stegmeir at (319) 291-1482 or mary.stegmeir@wcfcourier.com.