Obama's Massive Bashes - Voters Rejoice

By Jessica Bennett and Kathy Jones
The scene in many American cities Tuesday night could have been straight out of a Lifetime movie: People from every creed and background, young and old, in multiple languages and urban dialects, pouring into the streets by the hundreds to celebrate the victory of Barack Obama. Forty years after Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, they saw Obama's victory as a step toward the fulfillment of the civil rights hero's dream. "Now we have a new legacy," said Richard Washington, a Harlem native reveling in the excitement outside the famous Apollo Theatre last night. Meanwhile, all around the world, well-wishers were rejoicing with him. In Kogelo, Kenya, where Obama's step-grandmother lives, Africans organized all-night dance parties and carried American flags into the streets, as the nation's president declared Wednesday a national holiday. And in Jakarta, Indonesia, hundreds of students at the Menteng elementary school, where Obama studied, erupted into cheers as his victory was declared. We take you through the worldwide celebration.

Photo: Jemal Countess / Getty Images