When Americans voted the first black president into office, they were proud of themselves. Americans were proud that they elected a minority, and a particular minority that the majority had previously abused.

We’ve come a long way from the days of the Civil War and the civil rights movement, from the days of slavery and signs that say “whites-only.”

For that, we can thank Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. for making great strides in changing people’s attitudes toward the black community.

Other notable and prominent blacks, like Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes and Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., reaffirm the message of equality.

Today, we have President Barack Obama progressively leading the country toward equality for all, regardless of race, sex, religion or orientation.

But, has racism actually changed since Obama became president? Or, did we pat ourselves on the back too soon?

We aren’t sure that his powerful position has ushered in a new era in race relations.

We would like to believe that people no longer believe their particular race is the superior one, but it’s impossible to ignore tea party signs that refer to the president as a monkey.

We’ve heard it said that blacks today are too sensitive or that they are looking for a fight or that they are just using the race card.

Maybe what this country needs is more people preaching about education instead of equality. If those racist folks got out to meet their neighbors, whether they are black, Hispanic, Asian or Indian, then we wouldn’t have a problem with equality.

As a country, we would be able to lean on our understanding that while we may differ, we are still one in the same.

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