Racial Progress Is Happening In U.S.

What President Obama was elected there were some who said the United States was entering a post-racial phase. They were wrong. Having an African-American in the White House really brought out all the racists from under their rocks. They now felt they were justified in once again expressing their racism openly. They serve as a reminder that this country is still a long way from solving its nasty preoccupation with race.

But that does not mean that no progress is being made toward solving the country's racial problem (the problem being we still have too many racists). Consider the following statistics from a recent survey by the Pew Research Center. In 1980, just 3% of all marriages in America and 7% of the new marriages were between people of differing races. But 2010, about 8.4% of all marriages are interracial and 15.1% of all new marriages are between people of different races or ethnicities.

The good thing about this is that it is having an effect on how Americans think about race. The survey showed that 43% of Americans now think interracial marriage is a good thing and is having a positive effect on the country. Only 10% think it is a bad thing. I'm in that 43%. I think having a person of a different race in one's family makes it much harder to have racially-devisive views. It brings us closer to the day when Americans will no longer see race as an issue worth considering -- and that's a good thing.

Personally, I hope the interracial marriage percentages continue to rise in this country, because it brings us together. The Supreme Court was never more right than when they unanimously declared that "Separate is inherently unequal." The separation and division must stop, and interracial marriage will help to stop it.