My New Real Estate Hero - Jean Gregoire Sagbo, First Black Politician in Russia

I have never heard of Jean Gregoire Sagbo, until I read the article today from Associated Press and Yahoo! World News titled "A Russian Milestone..."

He negotiates Real Estate sales in Russia. He has lived in Russia since 1982, is married and has two children. Sounds Normal, right ?

But Apparently, He in anything BUT normal. He is special. He is a member of the Town Council, and is not paid for his services. He is heavily civic minded. He cares about the people and his community, and the townspeople of Novozavidovo, Russia know it. So, in what has been the called the town's first fair and honest election, Mr. Sagbo was elected as a Councilor.

Mr. Sagbo is also African. He is the first Black person to ever be elected to a Russian political office. EVER.

He has what it takes to cross the color lines, and make people color blind. The people of Novozavidovo do not see race or color when they think of Mr. Sagbo. They just see a fellow Russian who cares about his community in a way that is necessary and welcomed. However, he does not like being compared to President Obama. He believes his situation is very different than the current U.S. President's, and who can argue with him ?

The world needs more people like Jean Gregoire Sagbo. My goodness, DO WE. Congratulations Mr. Sagbo. You are MY HERO for the day...

Photo of Mr. Sagbo from Associated Press via Yahoo! News