Roxanne Jones, a founding editor of ESPN Magazine and former vice president at ESPN, has worked as a producer and as a reporter at the New York Daily News and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She was named a 2010 Woman of the Year by Women in Sports and Events, is a co-author of "Say It Loud: An Illustrated History of the Black Athlete," and CEO of the Push Marketing Group. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN) On a golden autumn morning eight years ago — the day after America elected its first black president -- I took a photo of my 14-year-old son walking out the front door to catch the school bus. And I noticed he was standing just a little taller than before, his high-top Afro fluffed up a bit bigger. His smile full of excitement about the future.

Will America's women and girls ever get to feel this way?

*****

We love to tell our daughters and sons that they can achieve anything, become anything they dare to dream. Study hard, work hard, we say, and there is no limit to what you can achieve.

This was the mantra of my grade-school years. Nice sentiment. But I doubt those well-meaning white teachers really believed it applied to people like me. They knew it would take much more than a dream for a little black girl — or indeed any girl — to reach her full potential.

In our male-driven culture, where we have yet to achieve racial, gender or economic equality and where justice for all remains an elusive notion, we betray those ambitious words every day. Still, we cling desperately to this beautiful, necessary lie. Because to believe otherwise is to admit defeat.

Photos: Barack Obama's presidency U.S. President Barack Obama attends the Nuclear Security Summit in the Hague, Netherlands, in March 2014. As Obama's second term nears its close, here's a look at some key moments of his administration. Hide Caption 1 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency First lady Michelle Obama brushes specks from the coat of then-Sen. Obama in Springfield, Illinois, just before he announced his candidacy for President in February 2007. Their daughters Malia, left, and Sasha wait in the foreground. Hide Caption 2 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama appears on "Meet the Press" with Tim Russert, right, in Des Moines, Iowa, in November 2007. Hide Caption 3 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama shakes hands with supporters after addressing a rally in Concord, New Hampshire, in January 2008. Hide Caption 4 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama gives a speech at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia in March 2008. Hide Caption 5 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama speaks at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. Hide Caption 6 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama stands on stage in Chicago with his family after winning the presidential election on November 4, 2008. Hide Caption 7 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama poses in the Oval Office with several former U.S. Presidents in January 2009. From left are George H. W. Bush, Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. Hide Caption 8 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama is sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts as the 44th President of the United States on January 20, 2009. Hide Caption 9 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency As retired military officers stand behind him, Obama signs an executive order to close down the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in January 2009. Hide Caption 10 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama and Vice President Joe Biden look at solar panels as they tour the solar array at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science on February 17, 2009. That same day, Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Hide Caption 11 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency A soldier hugs Obama during his surprise visit to Camp Victory just outside Baghdad, Iraq, in April 2009. Hide Caption 12 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama bends over so the son of a White House staff member can pat his head during a visit to the Oval Office in May 2009. The boy wanted to know if Obama's hair felt like his. Hide Caption 13 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama kisses Sonia Sotomayor's cheek after announcing her as his nominee for Supreme Court justice in May 2009. Hide Caption 14 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Palestinian security forces in Jenin, West Bank, listen to Obama speak from Cairo University in Egypt in June 2009. The Palestinian Authority hailed as a "good beginning" Obama's speech to the Muslim world in which he reiterated his support for a Palestinian state. Hide Caption 15 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama and the first lady meet with Pope Benedict XVI in Vatican City in July 2009. Hide Caption 16 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama hosts the Apollo 11 astronauts -- from left, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Michael Collins and Neil Armstrong -- in the Oval Office on July 20, 2009. It was the 40th anniversary of the moon landing. Hide Caption 17 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Police Sgt. James Crowley, second right, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, speaks with Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., second left, alongside Obama and Biden as they share beers on the South Lawn of the White House in July 2009. The so-called Beer Summit was held after Crowley arrested Gates at his own home, which sparked tensions and racial furor. Hide Caption 18 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama salutes during the transfer of Sgt. Dale R. Griffin at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, in October 2009. Obama traveled to the base to meet the plane carrying the bodies of 18 U.S. personnel killed in Afghanistan. Hide Caption 19 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama walks along the Great Wall of China in November 2009. Hide Caption 20 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama delivers a speech after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, in December 2009. Hide Caption 21 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama and former Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush walk to the White House Rose Garden to speak about relief efforts for earthquake-stricken Haiti in January 2010. Hide Caption 22 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency First daughters Sasha and Malia Obama play in the snow with their father after a snowstorm hit Washington in February 2010. Hide Caption 23 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama's signature on the Affordable Care Act is seen at the White House in March 2010. Hide Caption 24 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama throws out the opening pitch before a baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals in April 2010. Hide Caption 25 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama and his daughter Sasha swim in Panama City Beach, Florida, in August 2010, to encourage people to come back to the Gulf Coast after a devastating oil spill. Hide Caption 26 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama laughs as he makes a statement on his birth certificate in April 2011. Obama said he was amused over conspiracy theories about his birthplace, and he said the media's obsession with the "sideshow" issue was a distraction in a "serious time." Hide Caption 27 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama, Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and members of the national security team receive live updates on the mission to capture or kill Osama bin Laden on May 1, 2011. Hide Caption 28 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency U.S. Marines watch from Afghanistan as Obama announces the death of bin Laden on May 2, 2011. Hide Caption 29 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama enjoys a pint of Guinness in his ancestral home of Moneygall, Ireland, in May 2011. Hide Caption 30 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama and the first lady meet with Britain's Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, at Buckingham Palace in May 2011. Hide Caption 31 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama and Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon walk together in May 2011 during a tour of the tornado devastation in Joplin, Missouri. Hide Caption 32 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama delivers remarks to troops and military families at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on December 14, 2011, marking the exit of U.S. soldiers from Iraq. Hide Caption 33 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama pays for a dog toy as he shops with his dog Bo at a PetSmart in Alexandria, Virginia, in December 2011. Hide Caption 34 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama sits on the famed Rosa Parks bus at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, in April 2012. Hide Caption 35 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency British Prime Minister David Cameron, Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and others watch the overtime shootout of the Champions League final between Chelsea and Bayern Munich in a conference room at Camp David, Maryland, during a G-8 Summit in May 2012. Hide Caption 36 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama sits in his chair during a Cabinet meeting in July 2012. This image was tweeted by his official Twitter account in August 2012 in response to Clint Eastwood's "empty chair" speech at the Republican National Convention. The tweet simply said, "This seat's taken." Hide Caption 37 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama casts a shadow in this picture as he accepts the 2012 Democratic nomination for President during the final day of the Democratic National Convention in September 2012. Hide Caption 38 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney participate in the first presidential debate of the 2012 election. Hide Caption 39 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama celebrates on stage in Chicago after defeating Romney on Election Day in 2012. Hide Caption 40 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama pauses during his speech at a memorial service for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in December 2012. Hide Caption 41 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Hundreds of thousands gather at the U.S. Capitol building as Obama is inaugurated for his second term on January 21, 2013. Hide Caption 42 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Israeli President Shimon Peres, left, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, stand with Obama after Obama arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel, in March 2013. Hide Caption 43 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama adjusts an umbrella held by a Marine during a White House news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May 2013. Hide Caption 44 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Jay Leno interviews Obama on "The Tonight Show" in August 2013. Hide Caption 45 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency White House press secretary Jay Carney fields questions from reporters during a daily press briefing at the White House in September 2013. Obama had just pushed for congressional approval for limited military strikes against the Syrian government. Hide Caption 46 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Actor and comedian Zach Galifianakis interviews Obama during his appearance on "Between Two Ferns," a digital video series with a laser focus on reaching people aged 18 to 34. The President urged young people to sign up for his new health care plan in the video posted on the website Funny or Die. Hide Caption 47 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama walks to the Oval Office on August 7, 2014, the same day he announced the beginning of airstrikes on ISIS. Hide Caption 48 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama speaks to the nation about normalizing diplomatic relations with Cuba in December 2014. Hide Caption 49 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency From left, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and House Speaker John Boehner listen as Obama speaks during a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on January 13, 2015. Hide Caption 50 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama responds to a heckler who interrupted his speech during a White House reception for LGBT Pride Month in June 2015. Hide Caption 51 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama cries in January 2016 as he delivers a statement on his executive action to reduce gun violence. Hide Caption 52 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Cuban President Raul Castro tries to lift up Obama's arm at the end of a joint news conference in Havana, Cuba, in March 2016. Castro hailed Obama's opposition to a long-standing economic "blockade," but said it would need to end before ties between the two countries are fully normalized. Hide Caption 53 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama visits Prince William, Duchess Catherine and their son, Prince George, during a trip to London in April 2016. Hide Caption 54 of 55 Photos: Barack Obama's presidency Obama hugs Hillary Clinton after speaking at the Democratic National Convention in July 2016. Obama told the crowd at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center that Clinton is ready to be commander in chief. "For four years, I had a front-row seat to her intelligence, her judgment and her discipline," he said, referring to Clinton's stint as secretary of state. Hide Caption 55 of 55

If we are blessed, fate steps in and the unimaginable happens. President Barack Obama happens. We break free from the lie and the potential suddenly becomes reality. In one of the country's brightest moments, Americans of all persuasions united, more than 69 million strong, to elect him. Black voters turned out in record numbers and gave him 95% of their votes. That night in 2008, it felt like a jubilee.

Now eight years later, Hillary Clinton is the first woman ever nominated by a major party to be president of the United States. Again, we have an opportunity to free ourselves from the lie. Armed with a resume of experiences and achievements that make her one of the most qualified people ever to run for the office (it frankly puts her opponent, Donald Trump, to shame) Clinton promises to fight for women's rights and equal pay.

She pledges to stand up for working families, children and immigrants. She proposes tax breaks for the middle class and affordable college plans. And, for those of us who feel none of this matters if police brutality and the mass imprisonment of black and brown Americans is not addressed, Clinton vows to shepherd in criminal justice reforms and work to dismantle the systematic racism that corrupts our nation.

To hear Clinton's vision for America is to want to believe, all over again.

JUST WATCHED Obama predicts GOP will dog Clinton about this issue Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Obama predicts GOP will dog Clinton about this issue 01:01

Though we are battle-weary from the divisiveness of Washington over the past eight years, and from what has to be the nastiest presidential campaign season we've ever seen, we still yearn for the brighter vision. First lady Michelle Obama shared it with a crowd in North Carolina recently:

"This candidate calls on us to turn against each other, to build walls, to be afraid. And then there's Hillary's vision for this country — a vision of a nation that is powerful and vibrant and strong, big enough to have a place for all of us. A nation where we each have something very special to contribute and where we are always stronger together."

For black Americans especially, the effect of Obama's election cannot be overstated. It's almost impossible to recall the optimism of 2008 (if I hadn't been there, I'd fear it was but a dream), and on that November day, none of us truly understood how deeply the election would affect the course of our nation, our lives, our families.

But on that day, my son changed. My Brooklyn neighborhood changed. It became happier, more friendly, more diverse.

JUST WATCHED Baldwin and McKinnon break character in final 'SNL' before election Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Baldwin and McKinnon break character in final 'SNL' before election 03:20

We became more politically active and vocal about issues facing our community. My son became a leader in the classroom, on the basketball court and among his peers. He set ambitious college and career goals that never wavered. He showed a new sense of purpose and inner strength all his own.

Obviously, it would be ludicrous to credit President Obama for all this. All I know is that each night before my son went to bed and each morning when he rose, he looked at the glossy 11x17 color poster of President Obama he'd hung on his wall, the same poster he later took to college and more recently to his first apartment when he became an engineer.

His mom, faith restored, returned to church to pray for the continued safety and success of our President and our nation, something most black folks I know still faithfully do every day. After Obama, I became more focused on mentoring and community service.

At work, I stood taller, smiled more and set new goals, determined to succeed in my ESPN world. But it became less important for me to prove I could excel in a testosterone-charged environment and more vital that I reach for a higher purpose. Watching that beautiful black family in the White House expanded my horizons. I began to think very differently about my God-given potential and my purpose on this Earth.

JUST WATCHED Obama: I am really into electing Hillary Clinton Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Obama: I am really into electing Hillary Clinton 01:19

Agree or disagree with her politics, Hillary Clinton, if she becomes President, will change the world. She will continue to redefine the way we view womanhood in America — and not just for white women — for each of us.

Already I can see new excitement in the eyes the girls in my neighborhood when they talk about Hillary Clinton, daring to dream: "Do you think she'll really win?" they ask me. "I'm so nervous," Sofia said the other day. We all are.

The very idea of a woman as President is something these girls never imagined -- not a Hillary Clinton, and sadly, definitely not themselves.

Hillary Clinton has taught them something new. Win or lose, she has inspired girls to reach for more than just the kind of fame that comes to a Beyoncé or a Katy Perry. Talented and smart women as they are, we need a more diverse model of womanhood that lifts our daughters beyond the realm of entertainment, or even a higher step up the corporate ladder.

Clinton, with her conservative pantsuits and studious demeanor, shows girls (and reminds us all) that for a woman to command the world stage, she needn't wear sexy sequins and perform amazing dance routines. She can be amazing because of her brain, her vision, her ambitions for the world. Her goals can stretch beyond marriage and mothering, to helping others and serving her country.

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Hillary Clinton is modeling this for girls and young women and older women, too. She has shown courage, but also the intellect and the vision to step up and lead. She has had the tenacity to keep standing in the face of every fight or failure in her professional or private life. She does not see herself as less than any man.

Why is this so important? If our nation is ever to become something greater than it is today, things must improve for women, who make up 50.8% of the population

It is time. It is time we promoted a vision for women in which our worth is measured by more than how well we can manipulate men or succeed in a male-dominated culture. The fight for women's equality has never been solely about sexual freedoms. It is about my right to fully exist without man-made economic and legislative limitations set up to interfere with my ability to control my destiny, my body and my mind. Hillary Clinton gets this.

A President Hillary Clinton will not solve all our problems. She cannot undo the divisiveness of the past eight years, or more than 300 years of slavery and Jim Crow. She cannot magically empower every woman, especially since many of us, fooled by flattery or flashy lifestyles, refuse to even consider the depths of our oppression. We have been conditioned to value ourselves through the eyes of men.

But a generation of American women and men will learn something new: to never underestimate the power of a woman. Since the beginning of creation, we have been ordained to greatness. We have ruled over rich cultures and nations. Women have led many of today's most successful economies, including India, Great Britain and Germany, and even smaller progressive countries such as Costa Rica and Liberia.

Women leading in the world is not a new notion. It's time for America to catch up.