Mr. Tolliver paused for a moment. On the kitchen table sat a Barack Obama bobblehead. On the wall above the fireplace was a photo of Mr. Tolliver shaking hands with Nelson Mandela.
"Even in defeat," he finally said to his son, "Obama has proven that someone other than a white man can have a legitimate chance."
A few hours later, as Mr. Tolliver and his family watched the returns with friends at the barbershop, Obama had proved much more than that.
At 8 p.m., when the networks called the election, a roar went up. Then Mr. Tolliver led a procession out onto the sidewalk. "It's a miracle," he said, dancing in jubilation.
Back in the shop a few minutes later, he asked people to join hands. He broke down as he reminded them that they all had friends and parents who hadn't lived to see this moment.
Prompted by Mr. Tolliver, the Rev. Ron Simmons of West Angeles Church of God in Christ offered a prayer that traveled from slavery to the civil rights movement to this moment: "Oh Lord, you brought us a long way."
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steve.lopez@latimes.com
