What Do I Tell My Black Child If Obama Loses?

What Do I Tell My Black Child If Obama Loses?

What do I tell my black child if Barack Obama, America's first black president, loses his bid for re-election? This is a question many parents are asking themselves -- especially those who would blame the loss on racism.

Jubilant black parents on the front pages of newspapers, the day after Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008, said things like, "for the first time" they could "sincerely" say to their children that a black person could realistically aspire to become president of the United States.

The New York Times wrote: "That a new day had dawned was immediately...