Whites were "disappointed" by the O.J. verdict? Wow. We were enraged by the O.J. verdict.

A spoiled athlete who had a history of domestic violence -- and was protected by the LAPD -- used race in the most cynical way possible in order to manipulate a verdict no reasonable person, black or white, could possibly defend.

If Toure has a daughter, I hope she is never treated by any man, the way O.J. treated Nicole Brown Simpson.

Fortunately, white people are not the cartoon characters Toure would like to paint us as. We can easily see the difference between a childish thug like O.J. and a brilliant, grown-up like Barack Obama.

Nice article. I just had a long conversation with a friend tonight and we concluded that Obama means hope, more than anything else -- more than change, more than fairness, more than any other ideal. Of course, the hope he represents will be different for blacks as opposed to whites, but nonetheless, he gives us all, and the world, the same thing: Hope that the future is a better place. There's an overwhelming feeling that we're all in this together now... and I sincerely believe that Obama will at least give his all in destroying the racist socio-economic system that has kept black people down for generations and conditioned whites to ignore the injustices forced upon our black neighbors. I'm talking about the ghettos, the lack of equal opportunity, the lack of education and the lack of hope. I can believe Barack will bring this change because of what he has accomplished in winning the presidency. He overcame so much hate, so much fear, and really had to combat not only anti-black sentiment, but also a disgusting anti-muslim smear campaign. I never thought he'd win, but I've learned it's foolish to underestimate Barack Obama! He can do it! And so can we!

Please, Mr. Toure, stop comparing OJ and Obama. Please. It's too much.

As for the African-American male's self-image, I think you're right that Obama ups the ante. It may be time for the black men you mention, the ones with "a certainty that America hates us" (not necessarily the majority of black men, by the way) to grow up, and step up.

Change is good.

Mr. Toure, I suggest you and your editor look up the meaning of "communist" before using it erroneously. Dissent is not silenced in a classic Communist regime, but in a Totalitarian regime. I can see how you could be confused since all Communist regimes have turned Totalitarian rather quickly.

Otherwise, you have an overall nice article. Hopefully, this will repudiate the damaging "thug" and "nigga" victimisation stereotype that the hip-hop culture has force-fed two generations of black males and was every bit as damaging as the subservient "piccaninnny" stereotype of the '30's and 40's.

It is time we move beyond the 19th century artificial construct of race that has been used as a wedge to divide the underclass of this country and look at people only for the content of their character as Dr. King implored. When we stop repeating the "dark skin" bias through endless unproductive discussion of it, we cease to give it power, so please give it a rest and move into a future where we just refuse to acknowledge such thinking.

"Black" and "White" are social constructs - we make up what they mean. Obama is a well educated person who understands the world in a way that Bush and McCain never will. He appeals to people of any skin color who see the need for intelligence and good judgment in the White House. In 2008 this is no longer a "race" issue. The content of his character is more important than the color of his skin to the majority of Americans today. Go MLK.

What's tragic is the continuation of racial politics. That a black man (or woman) can even say "fuck whitey" without censure is untenable. The word nigger has been elevated to a sacred profanity --replaced with the ubiquiotus n-word---whilst other racisl epithets--like "fuck whitey"--remain. What a racket; blaming everyone elkse for your failure using skin color as the excuse. Unbelievable. Who are the racists in America now? Blacks.

Is it going to be white vs black or will Barack Obama be taken as an other US president and seen as American alone?

We should remember also that sharing a particular "race" does not equate to sharing a worldview. Yes, history casts a long, often-ugly shadow over all of us. But thankfully diversity comes in many forms; diversity of thought being perhaps the most important.

I think that not that you are wrong but you don't take it into consideration that his mother was white his dad black making him just as white as he is black. He also was raised by his white grandmother. Somebody told me the other day that he voted for Obama because he will take care of his people (refering to blacks and minorities) when in reality he is just as white as he is black. You sound just as ignorent as he did.

Not to belabor the point but, Obama is not African American. He is an American of Color. He is of mixed race and the offspring of an African (Kenyan) not an African American father and a white American Mother. He is what used to be derogatorily described as a half cast.

The fact that Obama's father was not African American is significant in that he did not come from a lineage that went through the struggle that African Americans had to suffer through, from Slaves to Free Equal Citizens.

His Father and his forefathers had always been and considered themselves Free citizens of Kenya. Therefore they did not carry the psychological scars that inevitably come with the history of struggle of African Americans.

That is why Obama is so free of any hangups, complexes and can exude such confidence and identify with all races. That is why he ran for all Americans and is able to move among whites as well as blacks as if he is one of us.

This man was sent by some higher power to bridge the devide between races and peoples all over the world.

He will have no bias against one or the other, he belongs to all of us black and white.

I think some of these commentors missed the point of this commentary. No one is comparing Obama to OJ, he is comparing the social impacts of the events. And yes, the OJ trial had a significant impact on race in America.

"Who are the racists in America now? Blacks." That is racist dude. Think bigger picture... all races have bigots, if you think different your being ignorant. There is no excuse for racism. Period.

As a "white man" (I could digress here and ask why am I not an Irish American? Or... am I? Why aren't we all just Americans?) ... As a white man married to a black woman who have two children together I have been introduced to the light-dark skinned bias, that I really wasn't aware of before. I grew up in both mostly black neighborhoods and also mostly white neighborhoods. I witnessed many different types of racism and discrimination. I saw my black friends roughed up by cops, white folks spit on by blacks, white people sneer at me for being friends with blacks and my black friends treated badly because they hang with a white kid. What I learned from everything I saw and experienced was the amount of good and bad that people are capable of over something as small as the color of your skin. Lets hope that Obama makes it possible for everyone to see the good they are capable of despite the their color and realize there is NO good in any kind of racism over any kind of skin color, lightskinned, darkskinned or a pink redhead dude like me.

We're missing the point here, Toure'.... the vote was against the Republican Gangsters on Wall Street, et al... not for Omama! B.O. is in reality, by any viseral appraisal, an on-the -job trainee, and yet another Harvard Law School grad. Won't the public ever learn?

This is government of the lawyers, for the lawyers, by the lawyers.... regardless of what color they might happen to be by some twist of fate at a weak moment in our nations history.

Instead of cursing "Whitey" and blaming "them", Caucasian- Americans, for all your problems... just say when our democracy collapses: "Fuck the lawyers!"

That would be much more intellectual, thoughtful and appropriate.

I agree with you whole heartedly, however I don't think we should be having a discussion about the color of his skin or wether he is half black or half white, the fact is he is an American, more so a human being one of us. irrespective of his color, he represents all of us. It's time for us as a nation to sieze the opportunity to make this nation one of the greatest nations ever my looking pass skin color or ethnicity and in so doing embarce our similarities along with our differences, because that will ultimately deternmine how great we become as a people and a country and ultimately the legacy that we will leave behind for the next generations, would we have turn back the hand s of time or did we move it forward?

I couldn't be more proud to be an American then I am today. Yes We Can, Yes we will, Yes we should. Inspriation and intellect, finally.

Focusing on whether or not Obama being part black will be beneficial is somewhat offensive.

People shouldn't be looking at the colour of their presidents skin for inspiration. But for the postitions he takes on policies, the actions he takes while in office, and promises kept as stated

It is a good thing that the american people were able overcome the stigma of a "coloured" man in office and hopefully this will help remove further shortsightedness.