Why race still matters in America

It has been nearly a week since Barack Obama gave his speech about race in America, and I can already feel the nation’s focus on race starting to slip away. Many have interpreted the speech through the lens of campaign tactics: “Was Obama successful in getting the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and his incendiary comments off the front page?” And yet, in our hopes to embrace a post-racial politics, we may miss the very discussion on race that remains essential to our society and politics.