Will a Black President Really Heal the Racial Divide?

Obama's victory won't heal all racial divisions. To succeed as President, he must still look past them

Joe Raedle / Getty

Barack Obama speaks at a rally in Florida.

The African slaves who provided most of the labor that built the White House never imagined that a black man would ever own embossed stationery that read "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue." Even the dreamer himself, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., might not have imagined that 40 short years after his murder, we would be planning an Inauguration of the first man of African descent to ascend to the presidency. No minority of any ethnicity had ever looked beyond the scarce representation of a few Senators and seen anything that suggested that the doorknob of the Oval Office could be opened...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!