Here’s an interesting snippet from the March 2008 issue of neatoday magazine. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Liberia’s president since 2006, and the first female leader of any modern day African nation - there were a few in ancient times by the way - has made slow but steady headway in changing the country’s fortunes after years of civil war.

According to the caption for PBS/Independent Lens, President Sirleaf-Johnson and her team of female appointees – the iron ladies as they are known – have made their greatest impact in restructuring the country’s debt, but citizens of the capital Monrovia might be more impressed that their Number One Iron Lady has restored electricity to the city. See more details about the March 18th episode for local listings.

As a historic observation no fewer than seven countries in the last fifty years have beat America to the punch when it comes to having someone of another gender to run their countries. President Sirleaf-Johnson is the most recent. The first was Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka. Another early female pioneer was Golda Meir of Israel . She lead her country through many turbulent days with their neighbors in the first years of its formation after World War II. Others of note include Margaret Thatcher of England, the recently assasinated Benazir Bhuto of Pakistan, Indira Gandhi of India , who was also assasinated while in office, and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany.

The color barrier, however, has never been broken in any nation. Wouldn’t it be interesting if two years after a woman is elected to lead a nation settled by former African American slaves that an African American man wins the bully pulpit in the United States?

We’ve seen how a change in gender can add a change of pace to international politics but never have we seen how a change of complexion might impact the tone of culture in a country’s political landscape. So my fiends, have you considered what a difference a shade makes?