Like many Americans, I commend Sen. Barack Obama for his thoughtful, personal discussion of our long struggle with the issue of equality. Yet, I heard within his speech last week both a meditation about our country and a call to local action.

People here in Silicon Valley, and Americans everywhere, should remember that rhetoric is only remarkable if it leads to change and results. Accordingly, we must ask ourselves, how do we turn these wonderful words into change for the Bay Area? Obama's speech offered a compelling road map.

First, we should recognize that legitimate issues still exist in the Bay Area that prevent people of every race, gender, class and sexual orientation from experiencing equality.

Second, an honest community dialogue on race, class, gender and sexual orientation should be public.

Third, we should realize that promoting respect and equity is not a black, white, Hispanic, gay, heterosexual, Democrat or Republican issue: It is a community issue.

Fourth, the effort required to strengthen these relationships will help us build the consensus necessary to address the major issues facing our communities: the challenges of rebuilding schools, achieving a sustainable environment and economy, building affordable housing and creating well-paid jobs for hard-working men and women.

To forge a new way ahead for our nation and neighborhoods, we need to send a strong message that hate and inequality have no home here in

Silicon Valley. You need to challenge yourself to adhere to a high ethical standard and expect the same from others. Do not avoid difficult conversations or just cringe and look away when someone brings the tired specter of everyday intolerance and bias into your workplace or social life. Find groups in your community dedicated to mentoring impressionable youths and eradicating intolerance. (I am confident that everyone in the Bay Area can use Google to find volunteer opportunities in seconds.)

Simply, take the old adage of the environmental movement - think globally, act locally - and apply it to social justice.

Some people might ask: Do we really need this discussion in the Bay Area? While the Bay Area is adept at turning challenges into opportunities, much remains to be done. Gang violence still plagues urban areas within many of the Bay Area's nine counties. Day workers suffer from economic injustice and a lack of health care. Many ethnic groups still feel cut out of the political process. Issues related to race, ethnicity, disabilities and sexual identity are often skipped over at work, in schools or even in places of worship.

While I believe that fundamental change begins with small local steps, I am not naive enough to think that America will change overnight. Neither Obama nor myself is asking America to instantly erase its past. Certainly, I cannot disown my personal experiences as a black woman raised during the civil rights era, communicant of a multicultural church and public servant representing San Mateo County's most diverse district. Neither can my white, Hispanic, black, Asian, gay or heterosexual constituents divorce their experiences from their world view.

Yet, the speech is a call to work. It is a call to innovate. It is a call for each of us, from the president on down, to be a leader. I know that this community and region can be a leader on this issue as it is with so many others.