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I think in general, we should be quite skeptical of calls that we now live in a post-racial age,
because that would seem to imply the eradication of race.
And in my mind, race is an important way of understanding cultural difference.
And although racism is certainly not a byproduct that what we want to embrace,
race and difference is something that, I think, gives energy and dynamic potential to the country.
Obama’s promise is something that is going to unfold over a series of decades, not only in a handful of years.
We have to think about him changing the discussion of race discussions in the United States,
not as an immediate post-racial fix, but as instilling hope in a generation of kids
who are going to grow up with an awareness of blackness as being equated with leadership,
with power, with African-Americans having the potential to hold the highest positions in national office.
And that is the kind of change that is going to come more slowly, but in the long run, is going to be much more effective.