Issues of Race in the Age of Obama

(Excerpt) The August 16, 2009 New York Times Book Review includes an essay, Race and Diversity in the Age of Obama, by Orlando Patterson. The essay is the third in a series of essays in the Book Review "exploring dominant themes and currents of thought in particular areas of American life." Patterson's essay maps out the ethno-racial issues that exist (or one might say persist) in the United States, now that Barack Obama, an African American, is president. A professor of sociology at Harvard, his perspective is primarily socioeconomic and cultural. My essay will use Patterson's essay as a guide to map out similar issues, but from a legal perspective