Obama and racial progress

President-elect Barack Obama's victory last week was not only a step forward for African Americans, but also for blacks around the world. Over the last few days, I have received so many e-mails from friends and family members in the Caribbean, Europe and Africa over how happy they are because Obama's win is really a step forward for the black diaspora.

Over the weekend a white friend asked me if I thought that "racism was over" now that the country has elected a black man president. I abruptly said no, of course. While there has been progress in this country regarding race relations, there is still a long way to go.

But in the meantime, lets remember a darker time in American history.