Melissa Harris-Lacewell : Barack Obama 's election celebrated as racial triumph . And this time , African-Americans participate in the process of remaking America 's racial story from a very different position than we have occupied in the past . The president was elected in 2008 on a promise to end the war and bring an end to what he called America's "longest war" -- but his first year has been marked by violence against black Americans that Harris-Lacewell : In many other areas , issues of race remain significant .
Melissa Harris-Lacewell : Barack Obama 's election celebrated as racial triumph . The president was elected in 2008 on a promise to end the war and bring an end to what he called America's "longest war" -- but his first year has been marked by violence against black Americans that Harris-Lacewell : In many other areas , issues of race remain significant .