The pictures were ubiquitous—older African Americans caught up in the Obama victories at various stages of the campaign - some in tears—with a clear personal stake in the accomplishments of this young politician.

We wanted to go behind the pictures—so we invited two African American leaders to our studios to talk about Barack Obama's road to the White House.

Roger Wilkins, 76, is Clarence J. Robinson Professor of History and American Culture at George Mason University in Northern Virginia.

His daughter Elizabeth, 25, was field director in Michigan for Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

We asked the two of them what Barack Obama's victory meant to them. Read AARP The Magazine's piece Roger Wilkins on Hope and Obama.