The New York Times published a series of stories today dealing with the issue of race in the presidential election.
In one of the pieces, entitled “In Generation Seen as Colorblind, Black Is Yet a Factor,” a Times reporter interviewed students at the University of Kentucky and the University of Cincinnati, several of whom said they have heard other students voice reservations — or worse — about Sen. Barack Obama based solely on the color of his skin.
Anthony Galarza, a 29-year-old UC grad student, said he has heard off-color jokes about a possible Obama presidency, including that the White House would become more “ghetto” with “barbeques on the front lawn.”
“I would think on a college campus we would be a little bit more liberal,” Galarza told the reporter. “To hear it so openly talked about, it’s disturbing — it really is. I don’t think anyone who is colorblind would make a comment like that.”
So the question remains: How much of an impact will race have on the election?
