I long for the day when politics can transcend race but we’re not there yet as a nation. There are many whites who still harbor racist attitudes towards blacks and the opposite is also true. Let’s not forget, the civil rights movement is only a couple decades old and black people are still struggling for equality in many ways. How does this affect Barack Obama? If you were to open your eyes you would realize you’re starring at a black man. Yes, he is half white and he has shown no remorse for this fact (he is on his way to visit his white grandmother). But Obama can no more deny what he represents for civil rights and the black community than he can his own racial diversity. It’s a burden he understands and has embraced wholeheartedly. And just as your children will face similar identity issues as they age, they are to embrace their heritage just as strongly as they should embrace the likes of others. That’s the type of hope I desire for our country’s future and that’s what Obama brings to the table.