Barack Obama’s lead in the polls is proof that prejudice against blacks in America is on the decline. But race is still an important question for a lot of people and can be the deciding factor for the upcoming election. Is America ready for a black leader at the White House?

The racist track record isn’t great in America. There were slaves. Blacks had to attend different schools, sit at the back of the bus, were not allowed in to restaurants and cafés and generally only got the jobs no one else wanted. It is no longer like this, but the American society is, on the whole, still a better place for whites than blacks. They still have to battle more than their share of social problems, such as unemployment and poverty.

There is no doubt that a lot of white voters will not give their vote to a black man, but at the same time it is expected that the African-Americans will rally together and vote for Obama. The democratic candidate must be convincing in his politics; on tax cuts, health issues, Iraq and climate to be able to pull America’s melting pot society together to cast him their vote. If he can pull that off, we will have a black man in a very white house.