With Jack Ryan leaving the race for Senate from Illinois as a result of a sex scandal, Barack Obama advances towards the Senate. Obama is remarkable for many reasons, including his stint as the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review, but he is also notable because he would be the only African American in the Senate.
Here is the complete list of African Americans in the Senate--in its entire 200 year history:
Hiram R. Revels (R-Mississippi), 1870-71
Blanche K. Bruce (R-Mississippi), 1875-1881
Edward W. Brooke (R-Massachusetts), 1967-1979
Carol Moseley-Braun (D-Illinois), 1993-1999
The complete list of minorities in the history of the Senate can be found on the Senate website.