the race problem

So, I was warned of the following phenomenon last semester by my Sociology professor, and I find it particularly potent now.

The media last night and today have been going on and on about how significant it is that America has elected a president of mixed race.

and yes, it is amazing. Don't misunderstand me. This is huge. It gives hope to the oppressed all over the country and the world. It expands the imaginations of young black children, making anything possible to them. Last night will be written about as an enormous breakthrough in our country's history, 40 years after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

However, I have heard more than one reporter talk about how this is the end to the race problem. Saying that we've beat it, it is no longer a part of us.

This is simply not true. The residues of our country's racial divisions still lurk in every corner. In every interracial interaction, the nuances of racism are there. In media coverage, the music industry, the grocery store, the judgements seep through.

And I'm not pulling for equality in the sense that everyone's culture is integrated and looks the same. But the goal is equal respect for every human being.